Memory of Lightwaves
by Jounetsu-no-Hana
Summary: Sequel to Smile Like You Mean It. Takes place after the threat of Vegnagun is gone, and Rikku and Gippal's stories are left unfinished.
1. 2 Months Later

**Memory of Lightwaves**

**2 Months**

Rikku plopped on her bed and stared at her white ceiling for a few minutes, glad to have a break. She was finally off for the rest of the weekend, and was more than happy to lock herself in her room. (Which she was proud to say she now lived alone down the hall from Cid) After a few minutes of day dreaming about Brother doing all of her work, she spun around and picked up her CommSphere. She had asked Shinra _very_ nicely if he could make one so she could talk to Gippal even while they were away from each other. Shinra had made them a set that connected to each other, but it was a failed attempt. She flicked the CommSphere on and waited for the connection to link. Gippal was hardly in his room, and if he was, he never really noticed Rikku's face looking back at him unless she said something. In that event, she liked to just watch him.

It was interesting to watch a Gippal in their natural habitat. Sometimes, he would talk to himself. He could have a whole conversation with himself and never seem to get bored. Rikku tried not to laugh and blow her cover when he discussed her with himself, saying some random things and something that almost made Rikku say "Aww!" The connection finally linked, and she saw Gippal lying on his bed, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling the same way she had a few minutes ago. His foot bounced from side to side in some sort of restlessness. His good eye looked completely hollow. _What's he thinkin' about?_

After a few minutes of watching him, Gippal turned his head and whipped out of bed, kneeling beside the CommSphere.

"Finally! I thought you'd never come." Gippal said, a smile flickering at the corners of his mouth. Rikku tilted her head.

"You were waiting for me?" she asked quietly. _He never cared about the CommSphere before! _Gippal nodded quickly.

"So, are there any ships flying out near here… soon?" Gippal asked, adding on the last part as if an after thought. He grabbed a pillow from out of the CommSphere's range and rested his elbows on it. He seemed to settle down after that, since he had still been fidgeting when he started talking to her. Rikku put a finger to her chin and looked up at the ceiling as she thought.

"Well… there's one going to the Moonflow in five days." She said, looking back at him. He rolled over onto his back in a position that looked much like a sleeping dog and said,

"No, I wanna see you sooner." Rikku laughed at his current position and turned over onto her back so she could see his face right side up.

"Why so soon Mister "I'm Busy All the Time"?" She said teasingly. Gippal sighed and the taunting.

"Because, more than half the team are going out for maintenance this week and having less than half the needed people is kinda useless, so I'm giving the Faction a week off. I know, don't give me that look; we'll make up for the lost time. Anyway, I was _hoping_ I would be able to see you at least once since I know you have the weekend off now." He explained hurriedly. Rikku thought for a moment. There was no way she would pass up a chance like this since she hadn't actually seen Gippal in two months, and that would be enough to make her go insane if she didn't have the CommSphere to listen to his discussions about her.

"Well… Brother has an airship that's actually _his_ now… and since he owes me I could get him to fly me out to Luca tomorrow. Sound good?" she said. Gippal nodded.

"Uh huh! I gotta head out now to help everyone put the machina away. Wait near the stadium if you get there before me, okay?"

"Okay. See you tomorrow!" Rikku said. She turned off her CommSphere and rushed out of the room. She finally found Brother in his room, as usual, and jumped at the foot of his bed. He screamed and pulled his headphones out of his ears.

"I'm listening to Yuna! Can you come back later?" he said. Rikku shook her head.

"I need you to fly me to Luca tomorrow at around… 10?" Rikku realized they hadn't even set a time. _Oh well._

"Whyyyy?" Brother said, laying back into his pillows. Rikku gave him a stern look.

"Do I really have to reveal to you the secrets of being a woman such as myself?" she asked him, trying desperately hard not to laugh. Brother shrank away and put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay! Wake me up at nine and we'll head out." Brother said, putting his headphone on grumpily. Rikku smiled sweetly at him and ran out of the room, leaving Brother to do his best impression of Yuna, which was enough to have the Al Bhed children run hurriedly past his room. Rikku ran down the hall back to her room and tore open the door to her _walk in_ closet, which she never got tired of. She rummaged through a bag and pulled out the outfit she had been saving and tugged the boots out of their hiding. _Hah! I knew saving this was a good idea!_ It was a long sleeved white shirt with ruffles going down and a satin blue bow at the collar, with red and blue cuffs at the end of the sleeves. The skirt was blue with yellow circles at the pleats that came halfway down her thigh, which she would feel alright wearing in Gippal's presence. The boots were red and black at the toe and had blue lacings. (A/N: This is the dressphere in International Last Mission and I've never played it, just seen a picture.) She put it all on and admired herself. _Still love it! Even though I know Gippal will still be wearing that pink and black armor._ She changed back into her comfy skirt and pulled on a big t-shirt that she found in her drawer. She looked at it slowly and grinned as she remembered one of the times she went to Djose.

_It was raining heavily outside as she walked towards the temple. Gippal was outside helping people put tarps up over the machina. She unfolded her arms long enough to tap him on the shoulder. He turned and tilted his head, grinning slightly. Rikku looked and said,_

"_G-Gippal… it's kinda-cold out here. You got anything dry for me to wear?" she asked. He put his arm around her shoulder. It was nice and warm, despite the fact that they were both sopping wet. Once he got in his room, he pulled out a large black t-shirt and tossed it to Rikku. She looked at him expectantly and he just grinned at her more widely. She pointed to the door._

"_Out!" She said sternly._

"_Alright, alright, I'm going!" he replied, walked towards the door. Rikku shoved him _lightly_ out of it and turned, keeping a close eye on it. She pulled the black t-shirt on, and it went almost down to her knees. As an afterthought, she tugged off her skirt with some difficulty._

"_Alright Gippal, c'mon." Rikku said, making sure to hide her skirt somewhere that Gippal wouldn't find it. She didn't exactly want him to know that she didn't have her skirt on anymore. He came in and grimaced._

"_It looks horrible on you…" he said, taking it all in. Rikku crossed her arm._

"_I'm hot, not a goddess." She stated simply, crossing her arms with a pout. The moment after, thunder clapped loudly through the sky. She bolted to Gippal and wrapped her arms tightly around him. He put his arms out in surprised and laughed a bit._

"_What's wrong? I thought you weren't afraid of thunder anymore." He said, hugging her all the same._

"_I'm not. Doesn't mean I have to be buddies with it." Rikku said, looking up at him. "Besides, it's a nice excuse to hug you." She added on, nuzzling her head into his chest. She pulled away from him and sat on his bed after a few moments. He sat next to her and she kicked her feet forward and back repetitively._

"_I'm not going out there until the rain stops." Rikku said. Gippal shook his head._

"_That's okay, 'cause your not leaving with my sexy shirt either. I got all my one night stands in that thing." He said, pointing to it. Rikku was so disgusted she almost took it off. Then she remembered she didn't have her skirt on._

"_Bleh…" She said. Gippal laughed and tugged her into another hug._

_Hah. I did leave with your sexy shirt. What'cha gonna do about it?_ She tugged it over her head and hugged herself with it. It may have had a terrible history, but at least it was warm and Gippal-ish. She leaned over and set her alarm clock for 8:30 and pulled the covers over her head. _So… sleepy…_

**Chapter one! Like it? Expect the next chapter up later today. I've got some good stuff in store now that I don't have to have times overlap each other.**


	2. Sunset Part One

**I know, it took an entire day to get this one out (le gasp!) enjoy! Note: I also started playing the game again and I know Rikku's skirt is **_**not**_** khaki, but I think I'll keep it like that.**

"_Are you_ sure_ you love me?" Gippal asked, tracing her jaw with a finger. Rikku closed her eyes and nodded slowly._

_"I'm sure." She said. Gippal's finger came away from her face. She opened her eyes in time to see him reach out and put his hands on her shoulders._

_"Okay then!" He said in a happy go lucky tone, pushing her roughly._

_She fell, screaming until she heard a loud beeping._

_"It's counting down the seconds to my death! WAAAH!"_

"OOF!" Rikku's breath whooshed out of her lungs as she smacked down onto the floor, her alarm clock beeping loudly. She looked around. "I'm not dead!" she whispered happily, standing up and rushing out of the room, still in her chocobo pajamas. She opened Brother's door and jumped on his bed, causing him to gasp and flail his arms around. He looked at Rikku, then at his clock.

"I told you to wake me up at nine. Not eight thirty." He said bluntly. "And I almost _had _her!" Rikku didn't even have to ask. She knew he was talking about Yuna.

"Brother, would you _please_ give up on her? She's your _cousin_!" She said, rolling off his bed and kneeling on the floor, waiting until he was fully awake. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then gazed at her.

"What're you waiting for?" he asked.

"For you to get up! C'mon, let's go!"

"Are you going to see Gippal?" Brother asked suspiciously. Rikku jumped up and darted to her room to get dressed. She had trouble lacing up the boots, but she eventually got it. She rushed back to Brothers room and banged on his door.

"I'll be waiting at the hanger!" she yelled.

Once she was at Brother's ship, she stood on the platform, waiting for him to come. He waddled to her like a duck, his eyes still half closed. He opened the door to the airship and Rikku sped inside, calling to him to walk faster.

Brother finally got her to Luca, and she was there by ten thirty. It was just typical that she had had to wait half an hour for him to fill up the tank. _Of course he gets the old kind that needs oil…_ She breathed in the air of the ocean that wasn't far away and walked towards the stadium, enjoying the wide open space. Home was nice, but it was so cramped, you could barely stick your arms out without knocking someone in the head. She played with the hem of her skirt, having second thoughts of her clothes. _Why is it that every time I see him he's still same old Gippal and I'm different?_ She wondered. _Maybe he doesn't care…_ _Oh shut up Rikku, of course he cares! He wouldn't have been so exclusive to you for the past four months if he didn't care! Come to think of it... we're not even dating. Maybe he'll finally ask me today!_ Rikku's thoughts ended when she got to the stadium. Of course, Gippal wasn't there. She grinned and sat on a bench and started examining her nails. They were ragged from her rough work with the machina. She sighed. Her hands were no better. She looked along her skin that looked like a spider web with faint scars. _Maybe he'd rather have someone with soft skin. That's what ever other guy wants._ She looked down at herself. She had always been… rail-ish. Every other girl she had seen grasping onto Gippal's arm had been skinny, yes, but they also had _curves_. Rikku only had curves when they were almost hanging out. Although, there were some things she liked about herself. She liked how rich a blonde her hair was, even though it got boring seeing as every other Al Bhed had blonde hair. She liked how her eyes looked like a pair of emeralds, even though once again all Al Bhed have green eyes. Her favorite color was yellow. Not many people liked yellow. But it reminded her of the sun. She loved the sun, loved how warm it was, even though it was pounding in the desert. Most people thought she dressed the way she did for attention. But truth be told, it was comfort. The khaki skirt she usually wore was worn out and stretched to her exact size, and the bikini was very comfortable, and didn't get her hot if she was out digging, though she hardly wore that to go out digging. The sleeves on her arms kept her warm if they went to Macalania as well. Altogether, she didn't _try_ to look attractive. But, every girl wants people to find them attractive, even though they may deny it. She sat thinking about many such things. Someone walked past her and sat down at the edge of the bench.

"I like your clothes." Said a slightly amused voice.

"Thank you." Rikku said dully, not really looking for a pick-up line at the moment. She then thought about it and gasped.

"GIPPAL!" She yelled, jumping up and tackling him as he stood up from the bench. He landed on the ground with an "Ow!" and then squeezed her tightly. She took her head away from his shoulder and kissed him. _Ahhh finally…_ He put his hand behind her head and pushed her closer to him. When she pulled away from him, she squeezed him tightly. He gagged, and she knew she was holding him too tight, but still, she hugged him tighter.

"Ouuuh… I missed you so much!" she whined into his shoulder. He snuggled into her hair.

"I miss you too. But I'm on the ground. And it's not very comfortable." He said, his words a bit choked from her arms around his neck. Rikku crawled off of him and sat on her knees, watching him get up. He looked at her for about a split second, and then she was kissing him again in a flash. _And that's how it's supposed to be…_ she said hazily to herself. Gippal let go of her and took her hand.

"So! I've got this all planned out." He said, tugging her along towards the café. She giggled as she was pulled, then fell into step with him, wrapping her arms around one of his. She felt different now that she actually got to be one of those girls holding onto Gippal. _Just another notch…_ she thought pessimistically. But she immediately pushed that thought away.

"Not true!" she said. Gippal looked down at her, having to turn his entire head since she was on his right side.

"Hm?" he asked. Rikku gave him a dazzlingly innocent smile.

"Nothing! So, do you know what I had to go through to get here?" She demanded. He grinned.

"What?" he asked, clearly amused by this.

"I had to go into Brother's _room_, listen to him sing, almost reveal my… _secrets_, and then listen to him sing AGAIN! You had better be one happy Al Bhed."

"Hmmm." Gippal hummed in agreement. "So what _is_ your secret?" he asked.

"I can't tell you! It wouldn't be a secret then!" she said.

"Pleeeease?" Gippal begged comically, still looking straight ahead of him. Rikku grinned.

"Oh, alright. Come here." He leaned down and she brought her mouth close to his ear. Instead of telling him _anything_, she kissed him on the cheek and ran off towards the café.

"Hey, you missed!" he called, running after her.

Rikku smacked her hand on the arch going into the café.

"Base!" She yelled.

"There is no base!" Gippal said as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around, her giggling helplessly the entire time.

_"BASE!" Rikku ran right up to him and jumped on his shoulders._

_"There is no base!" she said, staying on his shoulders easily. Gippal reached behind him and held Rikku's legs to hold her up and started to spin around._

Rikku grinned as Gippal set her back down on the ground.

"Just like old times, huh?" she said. He nodded at her, a sad look floating into his expression for a moment. He took her hand and walked into the café.

To their surprise, they could actually find real _food_ in the café now. Rikku watched in disgust as Gippal took apart his sandwich and ate the sections one at a time.

"I can't believe your eating a _chocobo_." She said. He grinned at her as he cut up the meat.

"There are plenty of chocobos out there, princess. Besides, it's good. Try some." He said, holding up a fork to her. She wasn't keen on trying it, but opened her mouth anyway. She closed her mouth and chewed it slowly. She realized with defeat that it _was_ good. She hated it when he was right about the things that got to her. He looked at her expectantly, apparently waiting for her to go "You're right, I'm wrong, you're godly, and I'm a lowlife."

"Meh…" she said, sitting back in her chair. He grinned and shook his head, continuing to cut up his food. Rikku -on the other hand- greatly enjoyed her chocolate cake, and even though it had choco in it, it was chocobo free.

After Gippal _graciously_ paid, they walked out and towards the Mi'ihen Highroad.

"So, what else are we going to do today?" Rikku asked, looking up at Gippal.

"Well, it is… two now-"

"Two?!"

"Well, from what I heard you were sitting at that bench for about and hour, then all that time at the café." Rikku stayed silent.

"So, me and you are going to take a walk on the Mi'ihen, which will be a three hours-"

"Three hours?"

"Yes! We gotta knock a few fiends' faces in on the way!" Rikku only laughed. "Anyway, after that we are going to watch the sun set near the travel agency, and then we are going to walk back to Djose under the moonlit sky." He said. Rikku thought it all sounded so romantic, she didn't believe it.

"You didn't think of this on your own, did you?" she asked, disappointment in her voice. Gippal shook his head.

"Nope! Got plenty of experience on how to plan a romantic evening." He said, tapping his head. Rikku grumbled something to do with one night stands and continued walking.

They got to the steps of the Highroad quickly, and almost immediately a dog-like fiend came out of the brush. Gippal pulled out a small gun and shot it quickly, but it just got back up. Rikku pushed him aside.

"Amateur." She said in her best LeBlanc impersonation. She took out her dagger and charged the fiend, the pyreflies leaking out immediately. Gippal stared, dumbstruck for a moment. Rikku sauntered over to him and closed his mouth, covering it with hers for a light peck. "Sin. Vegnagun. It's all in the wrist." She said with a grin. She slowly started walking away. Gippal fell into step with her and wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand resting on her hip.

"You'd think two months would get you out of practice. Couldn't you let me feel princely for once?" he said, putting his gun away and smiling all the same. Rikku tapped his nose with her finger.

"I'm more princely than you are. Remember, I'm the Al Bhed _princess_. You're lucky I don't have you bowing and calling me 'your majesty'." Gippal spun away and stood in front of her, an amused look on his face. He stood at his best posture and bowed, holding his hand in front of her.

"Your Majesty, may I please have this _gentle_ ladies arm?" He asked, looking up from his bow. Rikku giggled and placed her hand in his.

"Why, yes, you may, kind sir." She said. They assumed the position they had been walking in before, Rikku still smiling broadly. They kept walking for about an hour, never running out of things to talk about, when a piercing voice rang out.

"_Gippal_!" Gippal nearly flung Rikku across the Highroad as he turned to see who the voice was coming from. Then he took a step back and nearly stepped on Rikku's toes. He was in front of her now, so she couldn't see whoever had called his name.

"Gippal? Let- me- see." She said, punctuating each word with a small hop, trying to see over his shoulder to no avail. She may have been better than him, but he was still taller.

"One of my ONS's" Gippal grumbled. Rikku put it all together. _One Night Stands… _She scowled to herself.

"Then why're you _hiding_ me?" she hissed.

"So you don't get slapped."

"I bet I can slap harder than her! I got Vegnagun; I can get one of your bitches!"

"Gippal, why didn't you ever call me back?"

"Jeez it was how long ago…?" Gippal said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Six months! Girls remember these things!" _She's right. And that was pre Rikku!_ Rikku smiled, but didn't find herself any happier with Gippal. _Ouuuh he's in the dog-house now._

"Yeah…" Gippal suddenly grabbed Rikku's hand and pulled her out from behind him, holding her hand up like she was a fish and he had won an award for catching her. Rikku's smile dropped, and she took turns scowling at him, then scowling at her, but mostly scowling at _her_. She was pretty, but not exactly something Rikku thought Gippal would take to bed if he was sober. She and the girl that was apparently not Al Bhed, from her dark hair, stared at each other with a static that she was sure Gippal could see. Rikku finally got bored of just _looking_ at her.

"Hello." She said, sounding friendly and smiling vividly. The girl recoiled back as if in shock that Rikku sounded so pleasant.

"Hi…" she then averted her attention back to Gippal with a sweet smile. "Is she your sister?" Gippal sighed. Apparently the girl had missed the point and thought Gippal was all the more sweet for taking his _gorgeous_ little sister for a stroll.

"I'm not his sister! I'm his-!" She cut off. What was she?

"She's my girlfriend." He said, looking down at her with a grin. She only stared at him for a moment, and then smiled back at him.

"Yeah." She said, tugging her hand out of his grip and stepping in front of him, hence in front of the girl with icky brown hair. (A/N: I have brown hair too! I'm not a hater!) "Yeah, I'm his girlfriend." She said, leaning towards the girl challengingly. The girl huffed and turned on her heel, walking away from the pair. Once she was out of hearing range, Rikku turned to Gippal.

"Really?!" she asked, clasping her hands together. Gippal rubbed the back of his neck.

"If you want to be…" he said. Rikku's smile fell. But, he continued. "I didn't want to ask you because I thought you'd say no. I thought that this might be better. Friends with benefits, you know." He mumbled. Rikku just hugged him tightly.

"I would've said yes, you chocobo." She grumbled into his chest.

"Mmm… thank the Fayth for that." Was all Gippal said as a reply. "Girls are…" he shivered. "scary when they get mad. You guys didn't even _yell_ at each other." Rikku pulled away from Gippal

"And you have now learned one of the rules of feminism. All battles are _sneaky_."


	3. Sunset Part Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Cake Song :-)**

Rikku and Gippal continued along the Highroad for another two hours, as Gippal had estimated, and Rikku allowed him a few times to take out fiends without her help. He seemed to be happy to show her the machina that the Faction had been making lately, but all of it went through one ear and out the other. When they got to the travel agency, Rikku stopped walking as Gippal and she came to the spot on the Highroad that she remembered Yuna told her about. Yuna had told her that if she was ever going on a date to ask to go there. She even told Rikku that it was the perfect place to watch the sun set. Gippal turned and looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"It's nothing. This place just reminds me of some things." She said. He took her hand and pulled her along with him. They sat down in the grass and dirt and watched the horizon silently. Gippal wrapped his arm around her and Rikku rested her head on his shoulder. The sun was slowly setting, and she closed her eyes. She went into a daze, thinking about everything and nothing. She wondered what she wanted to do with her life. She wondered if she wanted to keep Gippal in her life. She wondered if _Gippal_ wanted to even keep _her_ in his life. She frowned. _What if I'm just another girl? He'll like me for a little while, but four months isn't long, and we weren't even dating. We dated for six months, and we probably would've gone longer if he hadn't gone to the Crimson Squad. I was over him until I saw him again. Maybe it was just a rush of memories? Lust, maybe? We've changed. I'm not Cid's Girl anymore. And he knows it. _Gippal nudged her gently.

"Hey. Don't fall asleep on me!" he said quietly. Rikku smiled.

"Sorry." She said. She watched the sun. It only had a little ways longer until it would disappear behind the ocean view. "Gippal? Have you ever done this with someone else?" Rikku asked. She felt him shake his head.

"This would be the first time I've done this with someone else since…" he trailed off. Rikku looked up at him. He looked troubled. "… since my mother died. We used to watch from the oasis." He finished. Rikku cuddled closer to him, and he tightened his hold around her shoulders.

"I miss your mom." She said. Sure, she remembered her own mother vividly. But Gippal's mom was there for her when she had trouble with things that she couldn't talk to Cid about. Except, of course, when she had problems with Gippal. Then she just had to deal.

"Me too."

"Too bad she and Pops didn't get married." She said. Gippal shrugged.

"I'm glad they didn't. I can't date my sister." Rikku giggled a bit. They continued to watch the sun. It was only seconds away from disappearing. Rikku leaned forward eagerly. Suddenly, there was a flash of green (A/N: Yes this actually happens! I've never seen it, but I know it happens.) and the sun was gone. Rikku gasped when the green shot across the sky brilliantly. It was only there for a moment, but it was one of the most wondrous things Rikku had ever seen. She had never seen green in the sky before. Gippal rested the side of his head on Rikku's and watched the ocean. It sparkled in what was left of the sun. Rikku suddenly felt afraid. This was the same cliff that Gippal had pushed her off of in her dream. She quite suddenly scuttled away from the edge, slipping out form underneath Gippal's arm. Gippal looked at her in confusion.

"Safety… cliffs have been know to kill." She said. Gippal smiled and stayed where he was, turning back to the water. Rikku watched him for a moment then crawled forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her chin on his shoulder. Gippal turned his head and looked at her.

"So, what next?" she asked, smiling at the water. Gippal thought for a moment.

"A walk on the… not so lovely Mushroom Rock Road." He said. Rikku laughed,

"Ooo, sounds enticing."

"Just another thing to add to the list."

"Huh?" Gippal confused her sometimes. Most of the time, things made sense to him that didn't make sense to other people, and vice versa.

"Nothing." Rikku stood up, and so did he. Rikku grabbed Gippal's hand, staring at the water that was so far away and slowly backed away from the cliff. Gippal laughed. "Since when've you been afraid of heights?" he asked. Rikku glared sternly at him.

"Since you pushed me off a cliff!" she said. Gippal was obviously baffled.

"But… I never-."

"Never mind!" Rikku said, pulling his hand roughly and then letting go, running towards the other half of the Highroad. "I'll race you!" she said.

"I'll win!" he said, not too far behind her. She turned and started to run. In all truth, they may have been eighteen and nineteen, but they were still fifteen and sixteen at heart.

They both stopped at the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road and Gippal doubled over, gasping for breath. Rikku only bent her head back. Though Gippal was in as much shape as she was, she had the endurance to run. Following Yuna around Spira for two years made sure of that.

"Not… not bad Cid's Girl." Gippal said, still doubled over. Rikku glared at him.

"Why do I _never_ have a name?" she snapped. He put up his hands in submission.

"Just a joke." He said, his breath returning.

"Better hope it was." Rikku grumbled. She didn't know why it got to her so much about Gippal's nickname for her. Probably since she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't friends with him. Even though he was usually mean to her when she tried to talk to him in front of his friends, he always apologized to her later and asked her to _please_ not bug him when he was with his friends. She hadn't ever been very happy about that, and he had gotten into a severe wrestling match with her a few times because of it. And yet he still didn't know her _name_! She turned away from him with her arms crossed angrily around her chest. He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Are you just gonna stand there or do I have to carry you to Djose?" he asked, his hands absentmindedly tracing the hem of her skirt. She grinned.

"Hmm… piggyback sounds good!" she said excitedly. Gippal hadn't given her a piggyback ride since she was ten. He sighed and spun around, waiting for her to jump on.

"I was hoping you'd say no." he mumbled. Rikku jumped on his back all the same and held onto his shoulders. His arms locked around her knees and he started to walk down the road. "It's a good thing you're light." He said. Rikku kicked her feet forward and back, wondering if it was making it any more difficult for him.

"It comes with the package of saving the world. _Great bod_."

"I think this whole _saving the world_ thing is going to your head Cid's Girl." He said. She kicked back randomly. Judging by the way he lost his breath for a moment and took a step back, she had either hit him in the stomach or the chest.

"You try it sometime. It's something that most people would like to boast about. Of course, from what I heard about your speech, you only mentioned _Yuna_! What about me and Paine? We did a hell of a lot of work out there and you only said, "We need to thank a very special _lady_!"" Gippal laughed.

"I'm sure you would've gotten credit if she had decided to stay for a speech of her own. But, she had to run home and meet that Tiduck guy. And besides, _I_ had already worn Vegnagun down for you." Gippal said, resuming his walk.

"_Tidus_. And I'll have you know that they love each other _very much_ and any day now Tidus will be asking her to marry him." Rikku chose to ignore that last part.

"Yeah, and what're they doing till then?" That earned him another kick in the chest. "You're going to be losing your ride soon, Oh Savior!"

"Yeah well what about you?"

"Huh?"

"Do _you_ love _me_?" she asked. She suddenly found herself staring at him, one of his arms under her knees, the other around her back.

_In a graceful move, Gippal somehow spun Rikku off his shoulder and he held her like she was a princess, and he had just saved her from a dragon._

"Of course I love you."

_"Oh, so you would be happy if I did love you? But do you love _me_?" Gippal straightened, an odd expression on his face. Almost like he thought she already knew the answer to the question._

_"Of course I love you!"_

_"I mean _actually _love me." Rikku said, at the moment oblivious to the fact that they were having the sort of conversation they did when they were eight. If they _like_ liked each other or not._

Rikku stared up at Gippal incredulously. Gippal sighed.

"Why is it that whenever I tell you I love you, you never believe me?" he asked. Rikku shook her head.

"No! It's not that! It's just… You haven't told me you loved me since the day at the oasis."

"_I got accepted to the Crimson Squad… and I don't want you to think much about me while I'm there."_

Rikku was starting to get sick of these memories flying out of her head. She slipped her arms around his neck with a whimper.

"I love you too." She said. Gippal's hand slipped out from under her knees and she was lowered onto the ground. He took a step away from her and held out his hand.

"So, would you like to dance with me, miss?" he asked. Rikku looked at him as if he were crazy.

"There's no music."

"There is in my head."

"But I'm not a good dancer."

"Well I can make up for you. I've been told I'm a wonderful dancer."

"What, for grinding?"

"No… slow dancing…"

"Only because you're the only thing holding them up, they're so smashed."

"D'you _have_ to be so picky?" Rikku giggled and took his hand. He immediately spun her into his arms. Rikku was only a one way dancer. You put your hands on the guys' shoulders, and you step back and forth. Gippal was better. He knew _how_ to dance. Rikku went into a giggle fit as he dipped her low.

"I'm sure half the girls you danced with passed out about then." Gippal laughed as he brought her back up.

"Most of the time." He remarked. Minutes later, with much foot stepping on (to Gippal's toes dismay, even through his leather boots), Rikku pulled away from him.

"Why're you so… different?" she asked. She wasn't worried. She was only curious. Gippal shrugged.

"A lot of the Faction's been telling me to do this thing called "settle down"." he said, shivering. "Telling me to fall in love, check, get married, uncheck, have kids, _uncheck_, and buy a _big_ house, semi-check."

"Semi-check?"

"Djose Temple's not exactly… mine." He said. Rikku laughed.

"Of course. But you know, I don't know what priest would want it back now that machina have been crawling around in the Chamber of the Fayth. It just wouldn't do for them. So, what're we gonna do when we get back to Djose?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back and walking slow. Gippal fell into step with her, staring out at the stars.

"Well… d'you like hot chocolate?" he said with a grin.

_"Well, I know a pretty kickass recipe for hot chocolate. Sound good?" Gippal asked, keeping his tone steady. Rikku grinned up at him._

_"Let me guess… it's the 'old powdered just add milk water or both and you're done' kickass recipe?" she asked._

Rikku growled. "These are getting way to frequent…"

"Hm?"

"Nothing! And yes, I happen to be very fond of hot chocolate."

"Almost as fond as you are of me?" he asked hopefully. Rikku kept a straight face.

"You've got it mixed up. I'm almost as fond of you as I am of hot chocolate. But you're getting there, kid."

"Hey, y'can't call me a kid if I'm older than you."

"Not unless I speak words of wisdom."

"Which those were?"

"Mmm-hmm. In fact, I deserve to call you kid much more often than I do, I just decide not to."

"Of course."

"Mm-hm." They walked on, Rikku singing the cake song in the absence of conversation, with Gippal firmly placing his hands over his ears. (A/N: I realize the cake song wouldn't be in Spira, but I couldn't resist.)

"_It's a piece of cake to make a pretty cake. If the way is hazy, you gotta do the cooking by the book. You know you can't be lazy. Never use a messy recipe. The cake will end up crazy. If you do the cooking by the book, then you'll have a cake. We gotta have it made, you know that I love cake, finally it's time to make a c-_"

"Will it never end?!" Gippal yelled, clamping his hand over Rikku's mouth. She scrabbled at his hands for a few moments, until giving up. He took his hand hesitantly away from her mouth, and she bit at his hand, causing him to yelp and quickly take his hand away before it got caught in her teeth. He only scowled at her for a few minutes, and then seemed to get over it. _Boys get over things fast._

Gippal opened the door to Djose and looked around inside before beckoning her in.

"Why so sneaky, super spy?" Rikku asked, waltzing in much more casually than Gippal had. He laughed a bit nervously.

"You never know what will trigger the prototypes defense systems." He said, looking at the shut off machina that hung from the walls. Rikku walked towards his room.

"Got any machina in your room that I should be worried about?"

"Nothing except that CommSphere. Though I'm pretty sure there's some sort of laser in there. Shinra's idea of a joke." Rikku laughed. Shinra had never had the best sense of humor in Rikku's opinion. Or maybe it was just because her sense of humor was a widely spread one.

"So, d'you still have _actual_ chocolate, or have you converted to powdered mix like the rest of Spira?" Rikku asked, sitting down on his bed.

"Hmmm… I'm pretty sure I have chocolate somewhere in here." He said, opening the fridge. Rikku couldn't imagine Gippal's room without a stash of chocolate hidden away somewhere. "Aha!" he pulled out a bar of chocolate and held it up as if it was a trophy. "And I happen to not have a stove in here so… we're gonna have to use the gel."

"Your hair gel?"

"No! We need something less flammable." He said, his voice sounding scandalized, and started picking through a chest. Rikku just smiled, watching.

"I thought you had this all planned out." She said.

"I did! The hot chocolate was an after thought. Asking you out back there reminded me of when I first asked you out. Found it!" he pulled out a small gel and pulled back the lid to reveal a pink gel. He pulled out a box of matches and then set it on fire, jumping back as it flared. Rikku giggled. _Klutzy!_

"I take it you're still a fan of milk?" he said, going back once again to the small fridge next to his bed.

"Half and half, actually." She replied, taking her boots off and lounging on his bed.

"Ooh, Cid's Girl's growing up." The reply to that was a pillow in his face. Rikku picked up his CommSphere.

"Y'know, you _never_ notice me when I'm on here."

"I do too… sometimes… but you know when I'm in my room, it's usually for a nap."

"I bet I could do your job better than you could! Lazy…" Rikku said, setting the CommSphere back where it was.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you try!"

"Fine, maybe I will."

"But… you can't-."

"Can't butt in on your job?"

"Yeah!"

"Yeah, yeah, just pay attention to your hot chocolate." Gippal glowered as he waited for the liquids to heat up. Once they were finished, he held out the mug to Rikku. She stared at him.

"Right." He pulled out a can of whipped cream and made a tower of it over her cup.

"Why thank you." Rikku said, sipping from the mug and being careful not to get any of the cream on her face. Gippal put his mug down.

"Alright, close your eyes!" he said. Rikku looked at him suspiciously. "Pleeeeease?" _AAAGH! The-the face! The pout! No… must-not-BREAK! GAH!_

"Rrgh! Fine…" Rikku shut her eyes timidly. Seconds passed. "Gippal?" _**DAMMIT! ALL OVER MY FACE! WHIPPED-CREAM**_Rikku lifted her arms and wiped the whipped cream from her face, looking at it closely. She heard a clink as Gippal put the can down.

"Sorry princess. Had to do it." He said with a smirk. _I should've expected that…_ Rikku jumped up and tackled him, being sure to rub her face against his to get the cream off. "Gah! No! Not the hair-!" They continued to wrestle until to both of their surprises, Gippal had Rikku pinned down to the floor. Rikku wiggled in every way she could, trying to break out of his grip, then soon gave up. _Dammit… well, least I know what's coming next. _And of course, she was right. Gippal leaned down and kissed her gently, rolling so she was on top of him and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. _Things always end like this… _Rikku eventually pulled away from him and watched him carefully.

"Something's up…" she said. He grinned.

"What is?" he asked, reaching up and running his fingers lightly through her hair.

"You should know! You're planning something!" she said, trying to sound at least a bit angry, not scared. She had an idea of what Gippal was planning.

"What am I planning?" he asked, sitting up and kissing her again, his hands wandering to the buttons on her shirt. _Ah, life can be good sometimes…_


	4. All's Fair in Love and War

**Yes, Rikku and Gippal did "it" (quote marks) 'Cause you know, it's unrealistic for them to be eighteen and nineteen and probably have more hormones than most people do and **_**not**_** do it. Ahem… anyway. Moving on to the morning after, 'cause I'm not gonna go into detail.**

Rikku opened her eyes slowly. _Where… am I?_ She looked around. _This isn't my room…_ She turned her head. Blonde hair. Tanned skin. _Gippal_. She smiled as she watched him. _And he's still asleep._ She turned over all the way and looked around the room. She sighed slowly. _I don't even know where all my clothes went! _She merely stared at Gippal, wondering about things that she couldn't put into a solid thought. She wanted to get up and get her things, since she felt a little odd being naked, but Gippal was on the outside of the bed and there was no way to get out. She just sighed and lay back in the pillows, pretending to be asleep. Her mother had always told her that if she believed she could do something, than she could. _I can fall asleep, I _can_ fall asleep, I can-_ There was a shudder next to her and she jumped a bit, and then closed her eyes. For some reason, she didn't want Gippal to know she was awake yet. She heard him sit up. A few seconds later, there was a pressure on her forehead. She grinned and nestled into the covers more. She heard him pick up bits of clothing. She felt the bed tilt; he had sat on the bed again.

"Riiiiikku…" she felt a hand on her shoulder. _Feign sudden awakness!_ She groaned.

"G'way Brother. Ge'outta mah room…" she said, waving at the hand that was holding her shoulder. _Oh, I'm good_. Gippal only shook harder. She opened one of her eyes a crack and pretended to be confused. "You're sure not Brother…" she stated, sitting up. Gippal smiled.

"Nope. Sleep well?" Rikku nodded. He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Well, I think you should get dressed before Brother comes looking for you. You know this will be the first place he'll look." He said, standing up and going to the door.

"You're leaving me?" she whined, holding the cover to her collarbone. He looked at her and smiled wickedly.

"You'd rather me stay?" She looked down at herself. _Oh yeah…_

"Heh… nevermind." He opened the door and walked out. She poked around the room until she found all her clothes, then combed her hair out as best she could with her fingers and tied it back up into a plait. She looked at herself carefully. Her lips were a light shade of rose from where her lip gloss usually was, but it had sunken into herlips now. The pleats in her skirt weren't as perfect as they had been before. But overall, after waking up from a… different night, she didn't look half as bad as she'd expected. She sat on the bed and thought. She could hardly remember, and she couldn't figure out why. But she had remembered a pain that had splintered through her, causing her to recoil back. She remembered Gippal getting so worried about her. She jumped up and pulled back the covers. _Blood…! I really _did _have sex with Gippal! _She felt dizzy for a moment. She had always told herself she wasn't going to have sex until she was about 21 and she could drink it off the next day. She turned her head to the door and opened it. _Oh well. All I can think of right now is that Fruna was right. It _is_ better than you'd think it would be._

Rikku walked out into the temple and looked around.

"Hey." She looked over. Gippal was sitting on the stairs to the Cloister of Trails. She walked over and sat next to him in what narrow space she could.

"Hi there." She said, grinning at him. He looked worried.

"Are you _sure_ I didn't hurt you last night?" he asked. Rikku's smile dropped for a moment as she thought, then she grinned up at him again.

"I didn't know you'd care. Positive. Am I _really_ the first virgin you've slept with?" Gippal seemed to think for a moment.

"I think so… you really don't give me as much credit as I deserve. I don't sleep with _that_ many women." He glanced at her expression and sighed. "Aw, how would you know anyway?" Rikku stood up and laughed.

"Call it a hunch." She said, walking off the steps and sitting in the middle of the temple. They sat in silence for a moment.

"You know, we didn't first kiss at Fruna's birthday party." He said. Rikku scrunched up her eyebrows.

"Huh?" she asked.

"We kissed before that. I guess you don't remember. I didn't think of it till this morning. Remember, when I was twelve and you were eleven and we stopped being friends for about a year?" Rikku thought hard._ Oh yeah…_

"_Why do you _always_ have to be like this?" Gippal asked in a harsh tone, his gaze boring down on her. Rikku narrowed her eyes at him in defiance. Just because he was taller didn't mean he was better._

_"Like _what_? Normal?!" Rikku asked._

_"No! Annoying!"_

_"Well if I'm so annoying, then why do you talk to me?"_

_"Because you never leave me alone!"_

_"Yes I do! I'm not some lost puppy y'know!"_

_"I know… You're my friend."_

_"Well ya know what?"_

_"What?"_

_"Maybe I never wanted to be friends with a jerk!"_

_"Well maybe I never wanted to be friends with a stupid blonde!"_

_"You're blonde too!"_

_"Least I'm not stupid."  
"Least I've got two eyes!" Gippal stayed silent after that. Rikku stared at him with hatred._

_"Fine. Then maybe we _shouldn't_ be friends." Gippal said, almost in a whisper._

_"Good. Then I guess we're done here." Rikku said, turning away. There was a sharp pain that shot up her arm. She turned to realize Gippal had grabbed it and was holding it tightly. His hand was big enough to wrap around her entire arm, and the grip he had was bone crushing. "Let go!" Gippal pulled on her arm and crashed his lips down on hers clumsily. He pulled away after a second and looked at her with a calloused gaze._

_"Now we're done." He said, shoving her arm away as if she was the one who had made him grab it. He walked away briskly, his hands in his pockets. She stamped her foot and screamed, spinning on her heel and stomping in the other direction. She hated Gippal too much to think of the kiss. And so, she never thought of it again._

Rikku couldn't help but laugh.

"What were we fighting about?" she asked, staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know. Probably another time when you talked to me when I was with the guys and we were both having a bad day. Kinda got out of hand." Rikku thought for a moment. Everything seemed to play into her mind suddenly. Him leaving. Her trying to kidnap Yuna. Auron finding she was an Al Bhed. _Wakka_ finding she was an Al Bhed. Going to the Farplane.

_"Memories are nice but… that's all they are."_

"Now I know why I didn't go to the Farplane. Well, part of why." She took a deep breath. She had never said this out loud. She had always thought that saying things out loud was binding. Made it true. "I was afraid… that I'd see you there. I don't think… I don't think I could've gone on learning from some stupid pyreflies that you were dead. I would want to hear it from the living." She heard footsteps behind her, and then Gippal's hands slipped around her waist, pulling her to his side. She stared up at him. "I guess if I had gone in there I would've found out if you were alive or not." She said. Gippal didn't say anything. He just leaned down and kissed her gently. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and Gippal shot away from her as though there was static between them.

"_Rikku!_ How did I know you would be here? With _him_?!" Brother yelled. His figure was silhouetted from the light outside, but it was unmistakably him.

"Well, you never exactly said when you would come pick me up." She said in her 'I'm So Cute' voice. She saw Gippal grin from her remark out of the corner of her eye. Brother growled.

"Out, out, out!" he said, waving his hands in the air before marching out of the temple. Rikku giggled and looked back at Gippal.

"So, what're you gonna do without me for the next six days?" she asked. He thought for a moment.

"Well, I can't go back to Bikanel with you… maybe I'll go out and get some fiends, save Spira one angry pyrefly at a time." Rikku giggled then kissed him once more before following Brother out of the temple.

All the way back to Bikanel, Brother was nagging her about how Gippal would "never be someone who can live up to _your_ standards." _I believe he can live up just fine, thank you._

"Hey, Brother?" she said, staring out from the cockpit. "Can you drop me off at Besaid? I wanna go see Yunie." Brother sighed and tapped in some new coordinates.

She jumped off the airship before Brother could land it and started to run towards the town. She finally got to the edges without running into any fiends and stopped to stare at it.

"Hey there!" She whirled around to see Tidus waving at her. She smiled and waved back.

"Hi." She said, sounding a little less enthusiastic than he was.

"Whoa. Already sick of me?" he said, holding up his hands.

"Nah, just thinking." Rikku looked around. "Uh, where's Yunie? Aren't you guys attached at the hip lately?" she asked.

"I just had to go… go get something. Anyway, she's over in the tent, I'm gonna go to the beach with Wakka for a while. Uh, don't leave without saying bye to me, alright?" he said, turning halfway around.

"Okay." Rikku said, waving to him a bit before turning on her heel towards the village. She hadn't come to visit Yuna at all since she moved back here. She walked slowly through the village, looking around. _Heheh… Tidus didn't tell me which tent was theirs…_

"Rikku?!" Rikku turned her head, and then toppled over with a thud.

"Ow, Yunie! Hi, hi, hi!" she said, trying to stand up.

"Sorry!" Yuna said, getting up and helping Rikku stand up. "Those clothes look familiar…" Yuna said, looking at Rikku's outfit.

"Do they, heheh?" Rikku said, clasping her hands together and walking past Yuna a bit.

"So… how've you been?" she asked, turning around. Yuna had a stubborn expression on her face.

"Rikku…" she said warningly. Rikku turned away.

"Y-yeah?" she asked, her smile dropping.

"Rikku, what's wrong?"

"Uh… is there somewhere else I can talk to you?" she asked, looking at all the people. Besaid had really gotten popular over the past two years. Or maybe Rikku just felt confined again. Yuna took her by the arm and led her behind a tent, sitting down and looking at Rikku intensely. Rikku wrung her fingers together.

"Well… you remember when I told you that I didn't want to… to do that thing until I was twenty one?" she said nervously. She never knew she would be _this_ scared to tell Yuna about Gippal. Yuna thought for a moment, and then nodded, her face solemn. "Well, you see, uh… Gippal and I sorta started going out again and I just... I couldn't help myself." She mumbled. All of a sudden, Yuna was hugging Rikku so tight that she squeaked from the sudden pressure on her lungs.

"Oh, Rikku, I'm so happy for you!" she said excitedly.

"Y-you are?" Rikku asked, her voice choked from Yuna squeezing her.

"Yes!"

"Oh…" Yuna finally let go of Rikku.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked, concern dripping from her gaze. Rikku couldn't answer for a moment.

"I don't know. I'm still getting over this feeling inside me… things aren't going to be the same now…" she said nervously, knowing that now that she put it in words, it would be true.

"Oh, don't worry Rikku, everything will be fine!" Yuna said. "You're just thinking too much." _Never thought I'd hear Yunie say that._ Rikku raised an eyebrow.

"Have _you_ slept with Tidus yet?" she asked. Yuna turned red in the span of half a second.

"Well, er-." Rikku laughed.

"You don't have to tell me!"

"Yes, I have." Yuna said. "I'm tired of being the timid little Yuna when _I'm_ two years older than you! Now come on, you've gotta stay here for the night! There's going to be a bonfire tonight!" she said. Rikku's mind was already wandering.

"For what?" she asked dreamily.

"Not sure. Something to do with blitz. Anyway, come on! I know Lulu and Wakka will be happy to see you!" Yuna said, grabbing Rikku's hand and dragging her along. Rikku just smiled and walked on her own, telling Yuna about what had happened to her in the past two months.

Rikku burst into Wakka and Lulu's tent.

"Hi there!" she said, putting her hand up in a half wave.

"Hello." Lulu said, putting Vidina down in his crib.

"Where's Wakka?" Yuna asked, coming in behind Rikku.

"He went to the beach with Tidus." Lulu replied. "Probably playing blitz while Tidus broods over you." Lulu said.

"Brood…?" Yuna said. Rikku changed the subject quickly. The last thing she wanted to hear about was relationship problems. She knelt by Vidina's crib and out her finger in his small hand. Vidina grinned slightly and tightened his grip on her finger. Rikku smiled down at him. _Wonder if I'd make a good mom?_ She thought. _Probably not for awhile._

"E's cina Lulu yht Wakka dyga aqdny kuut lyna uv oui. Yht ev drao ajan ycg sa du pypoced oui, damm dras dryd E lysa du oui eh y tnays yht dumt oui hud du belg sa. Oui'na kuhhy pa duu kuut y puo du ryhk ynuiht sa. (I'm sure Lulu and Wakka take extra good care of you. And if they ever ask me to babysit you, tell them that I came to you in a dream and told you not to pick me. You're gonna be too good a boy to hang around me.)" Rikku said softly to him. He smiled broadly at her. _Maybe Al Bhed is a baby's language._ She took her finger away and became engaged in conversation that lasted the entire day.

It was nightfall sooner than Rikku could have imagined, and the bonfire was set ablaze. She sat next to Yuna as they sang songs that Rikku didn't know. She felt as if she didn't belong, but also felt as though she'd been there her entire life. She smiled and sang along once she got the hang of it. About halfway through, Tidus knelt down beside Yuna, taking her hand and whispering in her ear. Yuna nodded and stood up. Rikku smirked knowingly at Tidus, and he grinned back. Yuna came back minutes later, smiling broadly. She showed her hand to Rikku, and on her finger was a band with a small diamond in the center of it. Rikku stared at it for a long time. It wasn't anything special, but it was the thought that counted. She smiled at Yuna then turned her attention back to the fire. The flames danced in her eyes, making the sound around her fuzzy. She couldn't hear anything soon after. She felt herself curl up. She felt cold hands on her shoulder, and she reassured them hazily that she was alright. Just tired. She fell asleep soon after, dreamless and lonely.

Rikku opened her eyes dizzily. She looked around, expecting to see something amazing. Instead, she saw brightly colored rugs. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. _I need to get home._ She stood up and walked outside the tent. She hardly saw anybody. She guessed it was early. Yuna came over to her, looking worried.

"Are you alright? You sort of passed out last night." She said, putting her hands on Rikku's shoulders. Rikku nodded.

"Y-."

"_Rikku!_" Rikku shut her eyes with a cringe. _Right on time._

"Yes, Brother?" she asked, turning to Brother.

"Hello Yuna." Brother said sweetly to Yuna. Yuna nodded to him with a polite smile. "Fro ec ed cu rynt vun oui du yldiymmo lusa rusa?( Why is it so hard for you to actually come home?)" he asked her.

"E ghuf oui'na kuhhy lusa muugehk vun sa yhofyo! Pacetac, E tuh'd aqyldmo ryja y fyo du lymm oui! (I know you're gonna come looking for me anyway! Besides, I don't exactly have a way to call you!)" Rikku stated, pointing her finger at Brother's face. Brother scoffed and pointed at the archway going out of Besaid.

"Go! Goodbye Yuna!" he said harshly to Rikku and lovingly to Yuna. Yuna waved.

"Come back soon, okay?" Rikku waved over her shoulder and set off for the edge of town. She didn't even think that she had forgotten to say goodbye to Tidus _again_. When she got home, she needed a nice long shower.

Rikku lay face down on her bed wrapped up in her robe, and stared at the ceiling. She was glad to be back at Home. She remembered that Spira was nice, but it didn't have as much sand and sun as Home did. She got up and put on the clothes she wore when she was running around Spira with Yuna. She recalled that they were _a lot_ more comfortable than the white blouse she had been wearing. She rushed out of the room and went to the garage in the lower levels for her hover. (A/N: Yup, she's gotta hover!) She flicked it on and rode it out to the oasis, taking off her boots and letting her feet get soaked in the water. Though it wasn't exactly cold water, it was refreshing from the heat. She heard footsteps behind her and turned abruptly. An Al Bhed child with a full jumpsuit stood behind her. She grinned.

"Hi there!" she said.

"Hi…" It was Shinra. He sat down where he was. Rikku took her feet out of the water and spun around to face him.

"Feel good being back at Home?" she asked. Shinra remained emotionless, as he still chose not to change out of his jumpsuit.

"Nobody to look forward to except you and Buddy really." He said.

"What about Brother?"

"Can't really say that I look forward to him."

"Vaf baubma tu… (Few people do…)" Rikku mumbled, staring at the glistening water.

"Why are you out here?" Shinra asked her, seemingly looking out at the desert. Rikku shrugged.

"Home was getting a little provincial. I went out for a little while and… did some stuff. And now I just wanna relax." She said, lying back in the sand and letting the grit depress around her head. She didn't think to ask why _Shinra_ was out there. She stared at the sky, which had just enough clouds to keep the sun from making her close her eyes. "Shinra, what happened to your parents?" Shinra was quiet for a long time.

"Same thing that happened to your mom." He said, picking up sand and letting it run through his finger before letting go of it and picking up a new handful. He stood up abruptly and stared at her for awhile. He then turned around with a,

"See you later."

"But how're you gonna get back?"

"Same way I got here. I'll walk."

"You can't walk!"

"I already have. Plus you nearly ran me over with your hover. I've got grenades." He walked off. Rikku shook her head.

"Strange kid." She said, picking up some sand and straining it through her fingers. She lay there for a long time until she jolted up and went to her hover. It would be _disastrous _if she fell asleep out there. When she got back to home, Cid found her and put her straight to work. She sighed and did as she was told. Fixing machina was something she did best.

The days went by quickly. Soon, it was Wednesday, and she finally had a day off. She slouched on her bed and pulled her CommSphere off the floor. She flicked it on and decided she would spend a little time watching Gippal. See what he had to say about her. The connection came in, but it was fuzzy. She waited. Her heart stopped.

There… on his bed was a woman, with long flowing hair that was a bright gold. She lay on top of tanned skin, short cropped hair. Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw them kissing, his hands running across her waist. _Gippal…_ She pushed the CommSphere away, causing it to fall onto the floor. It shut off with a dull hum as Rikku pulled a pillow to herself, burying her face in it and telling herself that it wasn't real.

**From the way this is going, this is going to be a very short fic. The chapters are longer than they used to be. So, don't be surprised if it ends at around chapter seven or something. Also, don't be surprised if it ends later than that… ideas come to me randomly, hahah. Anyway, it's taking me a long time to update 'cause my dad's getting territorial with his computer. I'll try to update faster though!**


	5. Gragbit

**Okay, so Gippal has cheated on Rikku! Dundundun! You all saw it coming… Anyway, question: Is Spira a country, or is it the **_**world**_

Rikku kept to herself for the next few days. _What went wrong? Was it me? Am I too… naïve or… or what?_ She walked around fixing machina and then went back to her room, neglecting her CommSphere completely. She never cried. Not once. She just felt—hollow. She could hear herself breathing more clearly now. She could hear her heart pounding. She could almost touch people's concern for her sudden and drastic change. She didn't quite understand it herself. _All this because of one boy?_ She didn't want to be like this. But… one week? That's all it had been and he already had lost his faith in her.

Cid finally told her he wanted her to take a day off and clear her head. She nodded after begging him to let her keep working. She needed something to take her mind off of it. He wouldn't allow her to even lift a finger if it had to do with fixing machina, so she eventually gave in and asked Brother for a ride to Besaid. He obliged, on orders of Cid to be _nice_ to her, and took her to Besaid in a matter of half an hour. He gave her a sphere to contact him when she wanted to come home, and then flew off. When she came into town, she found Paine was there too. And she actually _smiled_ at Rikku. Rikku wanted to smile back, run over and tell Paine how happy she was to see her. But she couldn't do it. Yuna waved happily to her and beckoned her over. She walked slowly towards them, looking around the village.

"Hey Rikku!" Yuna said. "Glad you came back. And what good timing too, Paine just got here an hour ago!" Paine seemed to notice something was wrong with Rikku.

"Rikku?" she asked. Rikku looked up at her and cringed in something that could pass off as a smirk.

"Hi." She replied. "Good to see you…" Rikku averted her eyes to the ground again. Yuna and Paine exchanged glances. Yuna put her hand on Rikku's shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" Rikku couldn't help it.

"Of _course_ everything's alright, I mean I'm only sulking because Gippal's a godamn _asshole_ who can't seem to keep his hands off other girls for _five_ _fricken_ _minutes_!" she yelled, looking at both of them with hate in her eyes. Not hate for them. Hate for Gippal. Yuna had taken a step back and was clutching Paine's arm in fear. Even Paine looked a bit taken aback by Rikku's outburst. Rikku felt frustrated. She wanted to cry for him so badly. To let all the emotions she was having seep out with her tears. She spun away on her heels and let out a short scream of anger, marching out of the town towards the docks. She couldn't remember why she had come there in the first place.

She had sat on the docks, thinking for a long time, when she heard a familiar,

"Hey." Behind her. There were two sets of footsteps though. She turned to see Wakka and Tidus smiling at her. She looked at their faces, then their feet, and turned back to the water. There was silence for a moment, then, "Yuna said there was something wrong. Wanna talk about it?" Wakka asked as he and Tidus sat down on either side of her. No way of getting out of this. She was a Rikku sandwich. She shook her head, but Wakka nudged her arm as a sign that he and Tidus weren't going _anywhere_. She sighed heavily.

"I saw Gippal… kissing someone. On the CommSphere, so he didn't know I was there. And… I don't know what I did that made him do that." She said, drawing her knees up to her chest and burying her face in her arms, mumbling some extra inaudible things to Tidus and Wakka.

"Hm… Well, guess seeing it with your own eyes is proof enough. How bad was it?" Tidus asked, speaking up for the first time. Rikku looked at him with a glare.

"Bad enough!" she hissed. "I'm never talking to him _again_!" she added, putting chin on her arms and looking out at the glistening water.

**It's time for a moment with YUNA AND PAINE!**

"Oh… I can't believe Gippal _did_ that!" Yuna said, wringing her hands and pacing back and forth around the tent. "I mean, I really thought he actually loved her!" she added, stopping in front of Paine for a moment, and then pacing again.

"Maybe he didn't…" Paine said dully.

"Oh, of course he did! You should know that he did!" Yuna said. Paine sighed and crossed her arms.

"Well I think we should find out what this is all about." Paine said.

"Why?" Yuna asked, coming out of her rant about how insolent Gippal was.

"Because. What if it's a big misunderstanding?" Paine said.

"And what if it isn't and it's exactly how it looks?" Yuna asked, her fists on her hips. Paine just stared at Yuna. "Fine! We'll do this little… _thing_ of yours. But _after_ my wedding." She stated.

"When _is_ your wedding?"

"Next month!" Yuna said, immediately becoming perky.

"So soon?"

"Well… you know, it's going to be here on the island, and we don't need many people to come. It's not going to be a Spira-wide thing right away." Yuna said, clasping her hands together. "You'll come won't you? You and Baralai?" Paine's face went a slight rose.

"I'm sure Baralai can come on his own." She said steadily. Yuna sighed.

"Paine, why won't you just admit it?" Yuna asked, sitting down next to Paine.

"I would admit it, if there was something to admit." She said. Yuna just exhaled angrily and then stood up, putting her fist in the air.

"All right! Soon as my weddings over, it's operation GRAGBT!"

"Gragbit?"

"No! G-R-A-G-B-T! Get-Rikku-And-Gippal-Back-Together!"

"This is like OMEB…"

"Omep?"  
"No. Operation Make… uh… nevermind."

"Okay. On with the show! Let's go find Rikku and cheer her up!"

**Rikku again**

Rikku heard footsteps behind her. Suddenly, there were hands underneath her arms and she was roughly pulled up and pushed. She waved her hands in the air in a desperate attempt to keep her balance. She stopped flailing for a moment, then fell headlong into the shimmering water, the dull reflections being ruined from her splash. She swam back up in a matter of seconds and looked around for her target. There was nobody on the docks. She tilted her head to one side. _But wasn't there…_ Suddenly, her shoulders were being pushed down on. She took a deep breath and then was hurled underwater by what seemed to be an invisible attacker. She looked around and saw Yuna and Paine floating just a few yards away from her. She scowled and swam to the surface.

"What the hell?!" She yelled once Yuna and Paine surfaced.

"So tell us what happened." Yuna said. Rikku grumbled. The last thing she wanted to do was recap again when she was very close to marching over to Djose and sticking a dagger in his throat.

"I turned on the CommSphere connected to Gippal's room and there was this woman _sprawled_ over him and they were making out. Got it? Now _please_ leave me alone so I can think of what to do!" She snapped.

"Can we go ask him?" Yuna asked. "Maybe it would be… better."

"No! I want to go! He's _my_ soon to be _ex_-boyfriend, and _I_ want to be the one to poke out his other eye!" she yelled, getting out of the water and taking out the sphere Brother had given her. "_Brother!!!_" she yelled into it. There was crackling on the other end.

"Yes?" He asked meekly.

"Come and get me _please_. I need to go to Djose."

"To go see Gippal?"

"_Yes_!" Brother shut off his end and Rikku angrily turned off hers. _Maybe I should calm down… Nah. Even Sin woulda been scared of me right about now._

Brother was there quicker than he usually was, and she was at Djose in no time. She stamped into the courtyard and screamed as loud as she could,

"_GIPPAL!!!_" The other Al Bheds stared at her as if she had just grown three horns out of the top of her head. She suddenly felt an arm go around her waist. She went ice cold.

"Hey." Gippal whispered in her ear. "Something wrong?" _What…? WHAT?_ She whirled around and stared at him for a long time. She then reached up her hands and punched him across the face. (A/N: I think Rikku would punch someone instead of slap them ) He turned back to her with his hand on his jaw, staring at her like he wanted to slaughter her. She just stared icily back at him.

"How can you _be_ like this jackass?! I know what you did! Stop pretending!" she yelled. He just looked at her with a befuddled look.

"Huh?" he choked out.

"You were making out with this Al Bhed woman four days ago!" Gippal looked at her with the same expression. "I saw you on the CommSphere!"

"But-."

"Shut up! I know you're just going to lie to me, so here." Rikku's hand whipped up to her ear and she slipped the feather earring out of it, throwing it on the ground. "Take your sunshine back!" She stomped away from him and back to the airship. She had told Brother to wait for her because she had suspected this wouldn't take long.

"Get back to work!" she heard Gippal roar behind her. _Good. He's mad. I hope he burns in a river! Eurhmmmm…_ Rikku looked back once more to see Gippal bending over to pick up the feather. She finally felt the tears coming. Her anger was gone. It was time for the pain. She ran onto the airship and took the elevator to the cabin, holding a pillow close and pretending it was her mother holding her. _Sudran… I need you…_

**Aw now I'm all sad:'( I'm gonna keep working, I'm just finally getting to go places so maybe not as much. Plus, these are hard to write.**


	6. On Top

**Two Weeks before the Wedding (About three weeks after GXR broke up.)**

Rikku smiled and looked down at her light blue dress. She had been so excited that she got to be a bridesmaid, but hadn't yet thought of who her escort would be. Tidus didn't have any relatives there, so most of the choices were up to Yuna. She had happily chosen all of the escorts, though she wouldn't tell Rikku who she had chosen. She twirled around in her powder blue dress. Even though she wasn't a fan of dresses, this was so flattering on her she couldn't help but feel beautiful in it. She continued to twirl until the room spun. Paine didn't seem as thrilled about her dress. She just stared at it, pulling it up since there were no straps to hold it on. Rikku slung an arm around her neck.

"Cheer up Paine! I'm sure Baralai will be happy to see you in this!" she said cheerily. She could tell Paine was biting back a comment and grinned, sitting down in a chair. She looked at the sequins at the bottom of her dress and shook her head to watch as they glinted in the light. Lulu looked equally happy with her blue dress, though she didn't say anything. Yuna smiled.

"So, do you guys like them?" she asked hopefully. Rikku jumped up.

"Yes!" she said, pulling up the sides of her dress. Paine just shrugged.

"I like it." She said with hardly any emotion in her voice. Lulu nodded, looking at Paine. Lulu didn't seem to mind Paine that much, though she wasn't very fond of her. Rikku found that confusing, since she found them almost like carbon copies. Yuna smiled and looked around.

"Okay, so there are three people I chose to be your escorts. And I'm sure I know who everyone's going to pick." Yuna said, looking at Paine.

"Alrighty!" Rikku said, standing up and walking into a changing room. She pulled off the dress, being extra careful with it. The last thing she needed was a ruined bridesmaid dress. Paine also went into her own dressing room and changed out of her dress, as did Lulu. Rikku came out of room and hung the dress up, turning to Yuna.

"Okay guys, so the rehearsal is tomorrow and Rikku-" Yuna pointed at Rikku. "Please come on time."

"Oh, don't worry, I will, since I'm staying with you tonight." She said with a smile. Yuna only stared at her for a moment.

"Huh?" She asked.

"Well, there's no point in going back to Bikanel if I have to come back to Besaid anyway. So, Paine and I are staying with you." Rikku explained, examining her nails casually. She had finally grown them out and they now had a thin layer of white polish on the tips. Yuna sighed. Rikku grinned as Paine came out of the dressing room. Lulu came out a few minutes later.

"Alright… the escorts will be coming sometime tonight, so you'll get to see who I picked." Yuna said excitedly. "You guys will stay with me, because your escorts will be staying in the guest tent. So, let's get back to the airship!" They had to take an airship to Luca to get the dresses with Brother's help. Of course, he would do anything for Yuna. They hopped on the airship and flew back to Besaid, Yuna talking the whole time about how excited she was.

They got home in about a half hour, and it was six by then. Rikku sat down on the beach while Yuna pulled Paine away and whispered to her. Wakka came to the beach and joined their group. Rikku eyed them suspiciously and then got up. She walked towards the group.

"Hey whatcha talkin about?!" She yelled. Yuna yelped and jumped away. She smiled broadly at Rikku.

"The escorts are here! Come on, let's go!" Yuna said, tugging on Rikku's arm. "Wakka is one of them, and he's also Lulu's escort. So Paine and yours are at the village now." Wakka ran ahead of them to the village. Rikku walked slowly while being tugged by Yuna, while Paine sauntered behind them with Lulu at her heels. Rikku finally came to the village. In the center of it, Wakka was talking to Baralai. She looked around, but didn't see anyone else out of the ordinary.

"Okay, so, escort one," she pointed to Wakka. "and escort two." She pointed to Baralai. "Where's mine?" she asked brightly, turning to Yuna. Yuna had her finger on her lip in thought and was looking around the village.

"Uh… wait here a second." Yuna replied, going over to Baralai. He pointed to Wakka and Lulu's tent. Yuna half marched half stomped over there and threw back the rug that closed it. A few seconds later she emerged with someone in tow. He stumbled out then looked at Rikku, then at the ground. Yuna put her hand out presenting him. Rikku could only stare, her entire body going numb. Gippal finally looked up and stared her in the eyes, letting out a long sigh.

**You saw it coming. Short chapter, I know. Next one'll be up soon!**


	7. All These Things That I've Done

**Okay so I think this chapter will be longer. And thanks JenovaJuice97 for clearing up the whole Spira thing! And now, on with the show!**

Rikku gaped at Yuna as she held out her hand in front of Gippal, looking like one of those game show ladies in sparkling evening gowns. Gippal looked timidly at Rikku. He didn't look angry, just scared. Like he was afraid she was going to punch him again. She looked from him to Yuna and then glared at Yuna with enough hate to make Sin scuttle off. Yuna just shrugged and walked over to her.

"What the hell is _he_ doing here?" she hissed when Yuna got close enough. Yuna smiled.

"I don't know, but you'd best get acquainted with him. He's your escort." She said, putting a hand on Rikku's shoulder and then walking away cheerfully, whispering in Paine's ear. Paine looked her way and waved, and then she and Yuna ran off. Rikku watched them go with hate flaring out from her gaze, and then turned on Gippal quickly. It looked like he had flinched when she did, but she couldn't tell. She marched over to him.

"Did they _plan_ this?" She asked him. There was a rosy tinge outlining his face from the setting sun. She stared up at him with her fists on her hips as he looked right back at her for a long time. "Well?" He nodded, his eye looking thoughtfully into hers. She sighed and started fidgeting with her braids. "Ouuh… don't look at me like that." She said.

"Why not?" he asked. "I feel I have every right to look at you like this. I'm trying…" He took a step to go 90 degrees to his right so he was on Rikku's side, still staring at her. "…to figure out…" he took another step so he was behind her. "…what I did…" he took two more steps so he was in front of her again. "…wrong." He ended. Rikku pursed her lips.

"You should know…" Rikku said. His gaze was as penetrating as it had been. She felt he was looking at her soul. It made her uncomfortable to know he could see everything about her, even if it was the last thing she wanted. He only looked at her.

"I honestly have no idea." He drawled. The same way he had said it two years ago…

_"You know what I mean." Gippal turned around all the way and walked a few steps forward until he was right in front of her._

_"I honestly have no idea."_

"Riiikkuuu…" there was a hand waving in her face. She took a step back with a shudder.

"I wish you would stop saying those things…" she whispered to the ground.

"Huh?" apparently he had heard her. She looked up at him.

"Okay, I know you hate me so-" she put her finger over his lips when he opened his mouth to protest. "We should just get through this and then… we won't have to have anything to do with each other anymore. Agreed?" She didn't want to make this any harder on herself than it had to be. She had just planned to finish her life never seeing Gippal again. But, she guessed it was a stupid thought. He stared at her with hurt written across his face for a short time and then nodded, ending it by looking at the ground. Rikku smiled up at him. "Good! So now, I believe I'm going to take a nap. See you later!" she said brightly, waving over her shoulder, she went into Lulu and Wakka's tent. A few seconds later, she opened the flap a bit to see him walking slowly the way Yuna and Paine had run, then two arms –one pale skin and one black glove- pull him to the side of the wall, concealing him from her view. Rikku sighed and let the tent flap fall, bringing her palms up to her eyes and rubbing them until they were dry. _No Rikku… It's only for the wedding. Don't you worry._

Later that night Rikku sat by the campfire talking to Yuna. Paine was at the other end of it talking to Baralai and Gippal. _Leave it to Baralai to include everyone…_ Rikku grumbled to herself. Paine said a short sentence and the three of them erupted into laughter. _Wow… didn't know Paine had the _ability_ to make a joke. Argh, I'm just being cranky because _he's_ here. Let Paine have fun!_

"Rikku? Are you okay? You look like your trying to blow the fire up." Yuna asked.

"Mmn…" Rikku said, waving her hand at Yuna. Yuna just shrugged and turned back to Lulu. Rikku put her chin on her arms and watched the fire dance.

"Something wrong?" It was Gippal. She turned her head and looked at him. He sat down next to her and looked at her with the same stare she had gotten earlier. She sighed.

"Uh huh."

"And I'm guessing I'm the _last_ person you want to talk to about it."

"As a matter of fact you are actually _right_ for once." She said, turning her icy glare on him for a moment. He grinned and turned to the fire. Rikku felt her face going to the same baffled expression that he had when she broke up with him. "Why aren't you angry with me?!" she yelled, standing up. Most of the people around the fire stared at her with a confused and interested face. She looked around, and then felt a gloved hand slip firmly into hers. Gippal stood up and led her away quickly. Once they were behind the wall of the village, Rikku looked up at him for as long as she could, but eventually the tears came back and slipped down her face. Gippal's hand came up and wiped it away, his face solemn. His hand felt so familiar on her cheek that all she wanted to do was lean into it and pretend that nothing happened. But she couldn't. He_ cheated on_ me_. I shouldn't feel bad about this!_ She soon let the tears fall freely and crouched down on the ground, her arms wrapped around her stomach in an attempt to keep her heart from slipping inside of it. She felt hands go on her shoulders and she was pushed back against the wall, Gippal looking at her intensely. She thought he was going to kiss her. And she hated that she felt like she would welcome it.

"Rikku…" he said quietly. She just tilted her head to show him she was listening. "I don't know _what_ I did that was so terrible, but I'm sure you have a good reason for being like this. So I'm not going to bother any more than I have to. But _this_ I have to do." He said. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. She didn't even have time to react, because as soon as his lips touched hers, the feeling was gone and her lips felt numb. They pulsed with the feeling of wishing he had stayed a bit longer. He stood up and walked back to the fire, sitting next to Baralai. Rikku stayed against the wall and thumped the back of her head repeatedly against it. She soon put her forehead on her knee and drifted off into and Gippal-filled sleep.

"Hey…" came a voice. She opened her eyes to see darkness. She pushed her hair out of her face to see a foot. It was morning. She looked up to see Gippal's face looming over her. "Why didn't you ever come back last night?" he asked. Rikku ignored the question and sat up, her body stiff from sleeping on the ground.

"What time is it…?" she asked, absentmindedly taking a piece of bread that Gippal was offering. She didn't care what he had done to it. It was _food_. She started to eat it ravenously.

"Well, you missed the rehearsal…" he said. Rikku jolted to her feet.

"_What_?!" She yelled. Gippal laughed and grabbed her hand.

"I'm just kidding! It starts in an hour." He said.

"Hey! That's not funny!" she said, throwing punches at him. He put his hands up to block her punches while taking steps backward. She finally stopped and looked around the town. Then a thought came to her.

"Y'know… since you're my escort…" a crooked smile came onto her face. "You're going to have to wear a suit…" she started laughing.

"Is it so hard to imagine me in a suit?" he asked. Rikku nodded. He smiled.

"I think it's hard to imagine you in a dress."

"I'll have you know I look drop dead sexy in my dress." She said, pointing a finger at him.

"Hmm…" he said, turning on his heel and walking away. "Best get dressed then. You've got an hour to get ready and get in place." He went to his tent and disappeared inside. She stuck her tongue out in his direction and went to her tent to get into her dress.

Everyone was in their places and the rehearsal for the wedding began. It all went by quickly, even the time she had to spend hanging onto Gippal's arm like he was some kind of god. After it all, everyone clapped that they had gotten through it with little mistakes. Afterward, before she left, Gippal whispered in her ear from behind her,

"You were right—about your dress." She turned to look at him but he wasn't there. She pursed her lips and then went swiftly to her tent, changing out of the dress. She _could_ go home after that, but she decided to spend the rest of the two weeks at Besaid. She didn't really feel like explaining to Brother how beautiful Yuna looked in her dress and have him soak her shoulder in his anguish.

About a week after the rehearsal a child from the village came to the guest tent that she was staying in.

"Rikku. Some people from Djose are here to see you." Said the child. Rikku smiled and put down her book.

"Thanks." She walked out of the tent to see… basically half of the Faction outside her tent. She sighed. "I'm guessing Gippal sent you?" She said. The person in front (most likely the speaker) looked at the ground.

"Uh… not exactly. We came here on our own. We just want to ask you if you could go talk to the boss. He's—not been right since you yelled at him." He said, putting his hands at the sides of his head for effect.

"Well he should know why I yelled at him very well."

"Why?"  
"Because I saw him making out with some Al Bhed lady in his room a month ago on the CommSphere!" she said, exasperated by their questions.

"Oh…!" someone said from the middle of the group. He had dark skin. He looked as though he went out digging a lot. They fanned out so Rikku could see him and he walked forward. "A month ago?" he asked. Rikku nodded slowly. "That… that was me… My girlfriend came to see me and we wanted some privacy, so we went to the boss's room while he was out at Bikanel to get some parts. It must have been me and her you saw on your CommSphere."


	8. I'm the New Cancer, Never Looked Better

**Rikku was WRONG! Dundundun! Haha! I had you going there. I wouldn't make poor Gippy the bad guy! No I wouldn't! –Goes into fangirl mode- Ahem.**

Rikku felt frozen inside. _It… wasn't… him._

"You're lying…" she said. The man shook his head. "No, you're just trying to get your boss back." She said, taking a step back.

"We didn't know what you two were fighting about. We just came hoping you would talk to him. It's not natural to see the boss so out of it. It's worse than when he has a hangover, because when he has a hangover he yells at us more, but when he's like this he just… talks. It's weird." Said the Al Bhed that had told her the truth. She looked at the ground.

"Just… go away. And don't tell Gippal you came here." She said, retreating into her tent. She needed to be sure. She pulled out the sphere and contacted Brother. He was there soon and she was back in her room at Bikanel. She took out the CommSphere and ran to Shinra's room, banging on the door. He opened it eventually.

"Do you mind being quiet? Your going to make my inventions blow up." He said, walking away and leaving the door open.

"Shinra? Is there a way to rewind with the CommSphere?" she asked, holding it out to him.

"How far do you have to go?" he asked, taking it from her.

"A little more than a month." She said, dancing on the spot. He opened a small compartment and pushed a few buttons. He held it up to her and pointed to a small button.

"Push that when you wanna watch it." He said. Rikku smiled at him. She was about to thank him when he started pushing her would of the room. She stumbled out and looked behind her to see the door close. She sighed and went back to her room, turning it on.

She had to watch about a day of Gippal doing nothing until finally she came to the right part. The part with the workers girlfriend. She paused and looked as closely as she could. She gasped and covered her mouth when she saw it. There was no eye patch. There was no funny pink armor. There _was_ no cheating Gippal. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She chose cry. She buried her face in her pillow and screamed her rage at herself into it.

She soon found Brother and flew back to Besaid. She found Yuna when her eyes were red and still puffy from crying. Yuna wrapped her arm around her and asked her what was wrong. So Rikku told Yuna in choked breaths. Yuna looked at her piteously but still looked happy. Rikku sniffed and looked and Yuna.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"Apologize to him and hope for the best. But… don't get your hopes up. Okay?" Rikku just nodded. She knew Yuna was right. She probably wouldn't take herself back. She stood up and turned to Yuna.

"I think I'll wait till your wedding." She said.

Over the next week, Rikku's mood lightened. Gippal came back the day before the wedding, but Rikku hid from him among the rocks. She didn't really want to tell him now. She wanted to tell him the next day, after the wedding. When she thought it was late enough, she went back to a village. She was almost to her tent when an arm ripped out of the darkness and grabbed hers, pulling on it and causing her to stumble. She landed with one of her hands gripping Gippal's shoulder and one on his chest. She immediately pulled away. He leaned against a tree.

"So where were you all day?" he asked casually as if he hadn't just nearly ripped Rikku's arm from her body.

"By the water."

"Then why didn't I see you…?"

"Because I was being _sneaky_." She said, rubbing her shoulder. Gippal sighed. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to my tent. Night."

"You mean _my_ tent." He said behind her. She stopped, but didn't turn.

"What?"

"Paine decided she would like Baralai to spend the night in _her_ tent. So you're stuck with me." He said. She could just _tell_ he was smirking like an idiot. Suddenly, all the feelings she had of remorse were replaced with anger. _He sounds so proud of himself…_

"You _must_ be joking." She said, turning to him. He walked past her.

"Nope." And with that he entered _their_ tent.

She situated herself in the bed across the room from Gippal's and looked over at him. He had rolled himself up so much in his covers the he looked like her was in a cocoon. She stifled a giggle.

"How're you gonna get out of that?" she asked. He shrugged as best he could despite his bonds.

"I'll manage. Night." He said. Apparently it was the end of the conversation. Rikku lay down in her bed and fell asleep soon, dreaming of heavenly ways for Gippal to take her back. Although, each one of them ended with a strange bang and screams.

She woke up slowly the next day and turned her head to see Gippal wrestling with his covers, growling angrily. Rikku couldn't help it this time. She started laughing while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Stop—laughing—and—help—me!" he grumbled. Eventually she got up.

"You could say please." She said when she was in front of him. He stopped moving and looked at her as though she was joking. When he realized she wasn't, he sighed.

"Please?" he said with an alluring smile.

"There you go!" Rikku said. She took the edge of the cover and peeled it away from him. She looked up to find his face right in front of hers. Suddenly, she was on her back in his bed and he was kissing her like nothing had happened between them except she went away for a month.

"Rikku? Hellooo?" Rikku shook her head.

"Sorry. Daydream."

"About me, right?" he said arrogantly. She nodded.

"You were stuck in your covers for the rest of your life and I had to feed you crackers for the rest of _my_ life. It was very boring." She said, straightening up. "Now get out so I can change into my dress." She said, pointing to the door. He stood up and took the suit (which Rikku had grudgingly admitted he looked good in) and left with an innocent smile to her. She shook her head and put her dress on. The clock told her that the wedding started in two hours. She went to Yuna's tent, and she was already in her dress and a nervous wreck. Rikku calmed her but soon became overexcited herself.

They still had an hour to go until the wedding, and Rikku was getting impatient. She wanted to talk to Gippal. She went out into the village and saw him leaning against a palm tree eating a sandwich. She sighed and marched over.

"I have to talk to you!" she said, sounding more angry than sorry. He looked as though it was the _last_ thing he wanted to do, but looked at her expectantly anyway. "Okay… here goes… yes, okay, I was wrong, you _didn't_ cheat on me and I…" she sighed and looked down at the ground. She looked up to see him smiling. He waved a finger at her.

"Haha… caught on, huh?" he said with a proud smirk.

"I'm trying to apologize here!" she said. He shrugged.

"By all means." He said, taking another bite of his sandwich. She clenched and unclenched her fists, staring icily up at him.

"You are so unbelievable. You're making me feel worse than I already do!" she growled.

"Maybe you deserve it." He said after a minute of chewing his sandwich. She stomped her foot.

"Fine! Forget I said _any_ of that. Let's just go back to the way things were!" she said, turning around and going back towards the tent.

"Which 'way' are you talking about?" he asked. She turned. He ticked the 'ways' off on his hand. "Friends, relationship, or hating me?" he asked with a smirk.

"I prefer hating you. It's such an easy thing to do." She said.

"Good. I can do that _without_ having to put up with you." He said. His voice was calm. Too calm. It just made Rikku even angrier. She walked back to him and stared up at him.

"Why do I hate you so much?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Maybe you're trying to cover up how much you love me." He said.

"I _don't_ love you."

"Not from what I heard last night." He said. "I think you said about ten different ways how much you love me last night. So what were you dreaming about? Hm?" he smiled down at her. She only gaped at him. _How can he _be_ like this_?! She let out a ragged sigh and looked shiftily away from him, going back to Yuna's tent slowly.

When it finally came time for Rikku to walk down with Gippal, she took his arm hesitantly and walked, trying to keep up with his brisk pace. Finally, they had finished and the priest was saying all of the things she saw on those sappy wedding shows that Yuna had been watching lately when there was a sudden bang.

Rikku jolted, dropping her flowers and looking around until she saw Wakka fall to his knees, his hand on his shoulder. The hand was being dyed red, and Rikku clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a shriek as she saw the blood drip down to the ground. A second bang cracked through the air and the audience screamed. Everyone scattered, trying to get away from the scene. Rikku couldn't understand what was going on. She looked around as Lulu ran to Wakka and put her hand on his back. Baralai ran forward and grabbed Paine's hand, leading her away at a run. Suddenly, the shots were firing with only second intervals between them. Tidus grabbed Yuna and tugged her away, though Yuna was yelling something that she couldn't hear. She saw Gippal as he looked around at the sky, then turned his gaze to look at her. She wanted to run to him and have him take her hand so they could run. She knew she couldn't fight now. _I'm never going _anywhere_ without my garment grid _again She and Gippal just watched each other until another bang rang through the air and Gippal fell to his hands and knees. He squeezed his eyes shut as blood started to drip from his mouth.

"_GIPPAL!_" Rikku screamed. She may have hated him two minutes before. But now, she would give anything to save him. She was about to run forward when one of the people from the island grabbed her and hauled her away. The entire time she was fighting them as best she could in her heavy blue dress, yelling for them to let her go and screaming Gippal's name. Then, things went dark. She felt and twang of pain, then nothing as she slipped from the islanders grip to the ground. She sighed with distress as her eyes closed.

**Ah so dramatic. Hey, you know Yuna's wedding would definitely not be perfect. You just don't expect a massacre… now I feel bad.**


	9. Read My Mind

**Alright, so if the last chapter was confusing, a group of people came with guns to Yuna's wedding. Wakka, Gippal, and Rikku were shot. Maybe more. Songfic chapter, so I don't own Read My Mind. Read on readers, read on!**

Rikku opened her eyes slowly. She felt confused. _Is the wedding… today? Wedding!_ She remembered. She sat up and cried out as she fell back on the bed. She put her hand to her right shoulder and looked at it. There was a bandage wrapped around it. Gunshots echoed in her mind.

**On the corner of main street**

**Just tryin' to keep it in line**

**You say you wanna move on and**

**You say I'm falling behind**

**Can you read my mind?**

"Gippal!" She yelled, trying to swing out of bed without bumping her shoulder. Someone was in her tent immediately. It was Yuna. Her eyes were red, indicating she had been crying. She threw her arms around Rikku's neck and started sobbing uncontrollably.

"Thank Yevon you're alive!" she cried. _Old habits die hard, huh? _(A/N: Indicating thanking Yevon. Stupid jerk.)

"Did anyone… die?" she asked. Yuna pulled away and stared at the ground. She slowly nodded, her tears coming so fast her eyes looked like small waterfalls.

**It's funny how you just break down**

**Waiting on some sign**

**I pull up to the front of your driveway**

**With magic soaking my spine**

**Can you read my mind?**

"L-…" she squeezed her eyes shut. "Lulu and Tidus!" she yelled, covering her face as her tears came quicker. Rikku felt a pain in her chest. She couldn't imagine it. Yuna had just gotten Tidus back after two years. She was going to marry him. And Lulu had bee there from the beginning. Yuna continued to choke explanations out. "Lulu was—going to get Vidina when she was shot. Tidus was trying to hide me from the people with the guns… I can't believe this…" she whispered. Rikku pulled Yuna into a hug as her own tears started to come. Lulu had been so nice to her. And Tidus was one of her best friends. The two of them cried and hugged each other for a long time until Rikku pulled away.

**The teenage queen**

**The loaded gun**

**The drop dead dream**

**The chosen one**

"Um… is Gippal alright?" she asked. Yuna looked at the ground.

"He…" she started. Rikku leaned forward. "… he's been unconscious for three days. You woke up before him. I think he's still asleep." Rikku breathed in relief. She stood up.

"I'd better go see him. Will you be alright?" she asked. Yuna nodded hesitantly. Rikku rushed out of the tent, going towards the guest tent. She slipped past the rug to see Gippal's sleeping figure. He didn't have a shirt on and bandages were wrapped around his stomach. She twitched with a pain she couldn't feel but knew that he could. He had a pained expression on his face and flinched every so often, indicating bad dreams. She knelt next to his bed and shouted,

"Gippal! Wake up! Please!" his eyes shot open. They were red around the edges and he stared at the ceiling for a while. Rikku watched him breathlessly. He then stiffly turned his head and looked at her.

"Rikku?" he said, his voice hoarse. Rikku smiled broadly at him. Suddenly, she was in his arms and he was hugging her tightly. She squeaked. She was almost sure that her head was going to pop off like a flower. "I thought they'd _killed_ you when I saw you fall. I tried to get to you and then I someone came over and hit me in the head. You've no _idea_ how worried I've been! They wouldn't let me come see you when I woke up and-" Rikku cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth.

**A southern drawl**

**A world unseen**

**A city wall**

**And a trampoline **

"I'm glad _you're_ alive." She said taking her hand away from his lips. He stared at her for a minute and then closed his eyes.

"I still think you deserved what I said to you three days ago." He said. Surprising herself, she laughed.

**I don't mind**

**If you don't mind**

'**Cause I don't shine if you don't shine**

**Before you go**

**Can you read my mind?**

"So do I." she said. She grabbed the hair in the back of Gippal's hair and pulled him towards her, kissing him out of happiness that he was alive. She knew he didn't want to kiss her. She also knew that it would just be in his nature to kiss back and get her hopes up. But she decided to enjoy it while she could. True, she felt bad about being angry with him. True, she felt bad about thinking that he would take her back like she was some sort of goddess. But at the time, she couldn't exactly remember those things. It seemed like it hadn't happened by the way Gippal kissed her, pulling her up onto his bed while she ran her fingers through his hair. _Finally. It's a better alternative than ripping his hair out. _Rikku had been craving to comb her fingers through his gold hair since she had seen him again. She had thought the only way to do so was to rip out a chunk of it and run away. But this was a much more pleasant,_ painless_ way to do it. She pulled away from him and looked at him with a straight face.

**Slippin' in my faith until I fall**

**You never returned that call**

**Woman open the door don't let it sting**

**I wanna breathe that fire again**

"I once heard some wise words that I believe would match this moment perfectly." She said.

"And what would those be?" Gippal asked, bringing his lips to hover over hers and then bringing his lips away just as Rikku leaned forward for the kiss.

"'You're a jackass'." She said with a grin. He put his finger on his chin and looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.

**She said I don't mind**

**You don't mind**

'**Cause I don't shine if you don't shine**

**Put your back on me**

"A seemingly wise man once told me, 'Only a jackass can change the world'." He said, pulling Rikku to him again. (A/N: If you didn't catch Rin in FFX-2 and didn't get Gippal's sphere, go to youtube and search "Gippal's Sphere" and that tidbit will make sense. Click on "FFX2 Movie" I didn't make that video.) Rikku pulled away from Gippal again.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her eyes still closed. Gippal ducked his head and lightly kissed her neck.

"Doing what?" he mumbled.

"Acting like nothing happened." she said.

"I need a break from all the drama lately. It's not exactly my thing."

"Yeah… I guess dating's not exactly your thing either." She said, tilting her head to the side as Gippal moved up her neck.

"Yeah… not my thing…" Gippal said in a faraway tone, bringing his lips back on hers. He clearly hadn't listened to her last sentence. He didn't care. But then, neither did she.

**The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds**

**Cut out of the sun**

**When you read my mind**

_**Short chapter. Sorta… anyway, more'll be up soon. Just for the record, GR are not back together. They're just… **_**relieving**_** themselves. Ha! Anyway, I'm gonna be sad for a bit since I killed Lulu and Tidus… I didn't mean to though! I felt someone had to die. It would be impossible for everyone to live when the bullets were shooting every second. Ahem. I'm sad. And watch the video even if you've already seen in! It's hilarious to hear Gippal say jackass.**_


	10. Rabbits and Vidina

**Recap: Lulu and Tidus were shot and killed. Gippal got shot in the stomach, hence the blood coming from his mouth. (I think that's how it works… and hopefully Gippal shouldn't have died from that.) Rikku kissed him, Gippal being Gippal kissed her back, music was playing in the background (oddly), and Gippal is the jackass that changed the world. :D**

Rikku had been lying in her bed for most of the day. Her legs itched to get up, but her heart wasn't set on moving. She thought again of kissing Gippal, and her stomach churned in the feeling of warmth that she got. Her heart started to race at the feeling of his lips being pressed against her own again. She rolled over and buried her face into a pillow. She had wished that she meant something to him. But she was too late. Gippal was a once in a lifetime thing. She felt horrible now. She didn't want to be a hook up for Gippal. She wanted all or nothing. And she had a nagging feeling she was going to get nothing as she swung her legs out of her bed. When her feet touched the ground, she remembered that Wakka had given him a drug to put him to sleep. She sighed and slouched a minute, then got up. _Psh… I can wake him up…!_

She swung back the rug to see him curled up in his bed tightly. He looked like a dog curled up comfortable by the fire. He had a frightened look on his face while he was sleeping, and his fingers were shaking rigidly. This reminded her of a dogs rabbit chasing dreams, and she couldn't help but smile. He whimpered when the rug thumped back into its place, and Rikku sat on the side of the bed. _CAN'T-GET-THE-GODDAMN-RABBIT!_

"Mmm… Rikku!" he said, his hand shooting out and grabbing her wrist. She jumped up and then realized he was still asleep. And obviously not dreaming about rabbits.

"He's… dreaming about _me_?" she asked, sitting back down. She shook her head and started to prod his shoulder. His face bunched up as if he had just eaten a lemon wedge. He waved her hand away but she kept poking him. He eventually opened his eyes and looked at her. He just stared at her for a long time.

"Huh…" he said as if he had learned something he hadn't known, his eyes drifting closed again. Rikku pushed him roughly onto his other side and he sat up slowly, moaning from the bandage keeping his mobility to a minimum. "Waddaya want, kid? I was having a good dream…" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Rikku smirked.

"I'm sure you were. And now that we're finished our whole "thing" we need to talk about here and now." She said. Gippal looked at her while rubbing his eye. Rikku sighed. "I don't wanna just be a girl Gippal. So just pick. Do you wanna be my friend, or do you wanna be my boyfriend?" she asked. Gippal looked stunned for a moment. He didn't even answer her. She looked down while shame came crawling into her face. "Right. Okay." She swallowed hard. It _was_ over. She looked up, shaking a piece of blonde hair out of her face. "I thought so." She said with a cringe of a smile. He reached out to touch her cheek, but she leaned her face away, avoiding his eyes and pressing her lips together. He dropped his hand limply and just watched her. He started to say something, but Rikku didn't want to hear him talk. "I guess I'll say goodbye now, because… I think I'm gonna go out into the rocks for a little while. Think about some things." She said. She got up and left the tent hurriedly.

Once she was outside she broke into a run towards the beach. The sandy rocks had become a favorite hiding place of hers. She sat up there and watched the ocean twinkle at her. It seemed to whisper with the waves, 'Come and swim. You'll forget everything!' Rikku smiled. She wished it were that simple. She sat there until she heard voices. She looked down to see Yuna, Wakka, and Gippal approaching. Gippal held Vidina snugly in his arms. He looked as though he was thinking about every step and glanced at the baby every so often with a frightened look. Wakka actually laughed at the way he was so paranoid with the child. Rikku had to bite back a giggle. It wasn't often she got to see Gippal so nervous. She smiled as he sat down in the sand behind Yuna and Wakka and started to talk to Vidina. From the way his lips were moving, she could tell he was talking in Al Bhed. You pick some things up after a few years of risking your life. Gippal reached in his pocket and produced something Rikku couldn't see. She tried different angles without standing up, but with no luck. He showed it to Vidina and Vidina smiled at him. Rikku was sure this baby was cleverer than they all knew. Gippal smiled as if proud of himself and put the item back in his pocket. Rikku sighed and jumped off the rocks, and started to walk to the four. _Can't avoid him forever._ She sat down next to him silently and looked at the water. He looked over at her for a moment, and then turned his attention back to Vidina. He continued to mutter Al Bhed to the baby. Vidina reached up and grabbed one of Gippal's gold locks, tugging it gently. Gippal grinned and bowed his head. Rikku smiled as she imagined Gippal being a father. Oddly, it was an easy thing to imagine. Gippal laughed as Vidina pulled at his eye patch, trying to take it off. Rikku and Gippal turned their heads to the side at seemingly the same time to gaze at each other. His smile slowly faded into a rueful frown as he turned back to the sand. Suddenly, Gippal stood up and passed Vidina to Wakka, then went back to Rikku and took her hand gently, pulling at her to follow him. She stood up with a feeling of apprehension and followed him with his callused fingers holding her equally rough ones.

They came to a place where the old machina city ruins sat and Gippal pushed her against the wall, his hands resting on either side of her to corner her.

"Look, I didn't mean to make you think I didn't care it was just you were so… forward and…" he started, looking deep into her eyes. Rikku kept her face calm, though a flicker of emotion was going through her body. She couldn't tell _what_ it was.

"And dating's not your thing." She said flatly. Gippal sighed and looked towards the beach.

"Right… not my thing…" he said. Suddenly, his hands were away from the wall and he was fumbling with his pockets. He finally produced what he had showed Vidina and pressed it into Rikku's palm before she could get a good look at it. It was soft in her hand, and she rubbed her fingers across the surface. She couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from his gaze to glance down at it. He looked at her solemnly. He sighed once again and smiled at her. "Not my thing really." He said, walking back towards the beach. Rikku gazed after him until he sat down. He never once glanced back at her. She looked down into her palm to see a small, velvety, black box in her hand. She took in a sharp breath and looked back at the beach, then at the box. She slid to the ground and stared at the box. She knew what was inside it. She was still afraid to open it. She took a deep breath and hesitantly pulled up the lid. It snapped open as if on its own and Rikku pressed it to her heart, staring at the sky with a look of panic written across her face. She felt needles prick the back of her eyes. Inside was a gold band with a small diamond set into the middle.

**I wonder how Gippal became this sex god since he was created from a computer. –shudders at those who remind her they are characters- Prolly cuz he **_**is**_** sexy. Better than a pirate! Anyway, I'm so excited now! I can't sit still! However, it's midnight, and I'm tired. Goodnight my lovable readers!**


	11. Gippal's Girl

**Okay, so Gippal's kinda-sorta proposed to Rikku, though he's Gippal, so he didn't actually say so. He's a jackass, waddaya expect? Anyway, Rikku's about to have a panic attack!**

Rikku tried to take in deep breaths, but her lungs seemed to have shriveled up. She closed her eyes trying to stop the pounding in the back of them, but what was worse is that the second she closed her eyes Gippal was there staring at her, anxiously waiting her reply. She couldn't decide now. _I'm eighteen! I know I _can_ get married but… could I handle it?_ She looked at the clouds. Truthfully, she wasn't sure if she even _wanted_ to marry Gippal. She was having trust issues with him lately. _I don't have to answer now, right? But telling Gippal I'll think about it is almost like saying I'm putting off saying no. Least that's how he'll take it._ She looked back at him down at the beach. He had Vidina in his arms again, and Vidina was running his small hands over his leather gloves.

_Then again... I can just _tell_ he'd make a good father. Maybe… I'd be a good mother? With Gippal… hm. Gippal's wife. Pfft. "Hey ladies, you're lookin quite sexy tonight, this is my wife, Rikku, but we can pretend she's not here. She's gotta take care of Gippy Junior anyway." Yeah, I can see that happening. Maybe I can whip him into shape. Hmm… But then, what if I can't? Only leads to heartbreak. And most likely a lazy ass ex husband who won't send gil for child support_. She sighed and looked at the ring. She took it out of the box and slipped it on her finger. Of course, it fit perfectly. Gippal somehow _knew_ these things. He had even guessed her bra size right, to her embarrassment since he threw one at the mall in Luca. She watched it gleam in the sun. The diamond wasn't big, but she suspected it was from somewhere in the desert. It had a sandy tint to it.She smiled at the ring. She liked the feeling that _Gippal_ gave it to her. It was what represented it. Not the ring itself. The fact that Gippal had somehow plucked up something like courage and actually given it to her. Of course, it hadn't been done properly like in the chick flick movies she had watched with Yuna and a regretful Paine. But it was still given to her. _Gippal's wife… Gippal's _child_… Gippal's Girl. Not Cid's Girl. Gippal's Girl… _She rolled her head back to look at the sky and closed her eyes, breathing in the salt of the ocean only yards away from her. She snapped the box closed, but her finger was in the way. It pinched her finger. The finger that had Gippal's ring on it. _I'm not usually superstitious, but is this a sign?_

She watched her finger as it turned a dull rose shade. She sighed and smiled.

"Everything comes with a catch. You can't have a rose without thorns. You can't have the ocean without sea monsters. You can't have Spira without fiends. Can't have a rainbow without rain…" Her smile broadened and she looked over at Gippal, who was rustling Vidina'd hair up. Vidina giggled and tried to grab Gippal's hand. Rikku stood up tenaciously. She knew _what_ she had to do. She just suddenly felt queasy. She slipped the ring off her finger and put it in the box. She marched over the Gippal and dropped it in his lap. He looked down at it, but then refused to look at her. She put her fists on her hips and smiled.

"Now do it _right_." She said. He looked up to see her smiling and he grinned back at her. He gave Vidina to Wakka, who was now watching them along with Yuna. He got onto his hands and knees and then put one knee up.

"Uhh…" he said. He looked down at his knees and switched them, then switched back. "Heh… uh Rikku? Would you…?" he looked back at Wakka and Yuna and Yuna mouth dramatically 'marry me!' "Uh… marry me?" he said, opening the box in front of her. Rikku smiled and nodded. He took her hand and slid the ring quickly onto her finger. Rikku tried her hardest not to squeal with delight. It didn't work. She screamed happily and tackled him, causing the empty box to fly out of his hand as he fell onto his back into the sand. Rikku clung to his neck while smiling at him. She found herself on her back a second later and Gippal's lips pressing against hers urgently. The sand moved around her head as a hole was born into the ground. He took his lips away from hers and took her hands in his, pulling her up and kissing her again once she was on her feet. She pulled her head away and rested the side of her head on his chest. She felt tears suddenly fall from her eyes.

"Aw, don't tell me you already regret it." He said quietly. She laughed and shook her head, wiping her eyes hastily.

"No, it's not that! I just… can't _believe_ this. I'm waiting for the time when I wake up." She said.

"You're not dreaming Cid's Girl. Least I hope not, because usually what you say in my dreams is the opposite of what you say when I wake up." He said, holding her tighter and putting his cheek on the top of her head.

"Mm… I'm not Cid's Girl anymore. I'm Gippal's Girl." She said. Her eyes snapped open. "Oh cred. Pops is gonna kill me." She said.

"You can worry about that later!" Yuna said. "You're engaged Rikku!" she said. Rikku pulled out of Gippal's arms and hugged Yuna tightly. Suddenly, she didn't feel so sad about what had happened the past few days. And she knew Yuna would let go soon when she had to busy herself with helping Rikku plan a wedding.


	12. Smores

**Remember when I told you I thought this was gonna be a short fic? I don't think so anymore. May not be as long as Smile Like You Mean it, but still it's kinda long. Anyway, enjoy! Rikku's gonna be Gippal's Girl!**

Yuna and Rikku sat in a tent and Yuna was staring blankly at the fire in a stove. Rikku waved a hand in her face. She seemed to have completely left herself. Yuna jolted and stood up.

"I feel horrible." She stated. Rikku looked up at her, waiting for an explanation. "I know I should be happy, but it's not fair. Tidus died four days ago and I'm laughing like it didn't happy. It's not fair to him or Lulu. I was wondering… will you come with me to the Farplane?" she asked Rikku. Rikku thought for a moment. She had been meaning to visit her mother for a long time now. Maybe now was it? She looked up at Yuna and nodded. Yuna smiled at her. "I really am happy for you. I just… I think things are playing out too quickly for me to keep up. I mean… a couple weeks ago you came to me and Paine and yelled at us of how Gippal was a jerk, and now you're engaged to him. It's just… fast." She said. She gave Rikku another rueful smile and left the tent. Rikku thought. _She's right. Four days ago I was telling Gippal that I hated him. Four days ago Wakka, Tidus, Lulu, Gippal and I were shot. Along with another five people from the village. Yesterday, I kissed Gippal again, asked him what he wanted from me, got rejected by him, got proposed to by him, and got engaged to him. _She put her hand to her forehead. _Things are going quickly. And I was getting _bored_ two months ago._

She exited the tent and called Brother. He said he'd be there in a flash when he heard Yuna was coming. She shook her head and headed towards Gippal, who was leaning against a palm tree with his eyes closed. She hadn't even said anything when he started talking.

"I like it here." He said, opening his eye to look at her. She smiled.

"Why's that?" She asked.

"It's warmer here than it is at Djose. That place is _cold_."

"How often have you been to Macalania?" she asked accusingly. He thought for a moment.

"Twice? Maybe?" he replied. "You're right. That place is colder."

"Anyway, I've gotta go for a few hours. Yuna wants to go to the Farplane, and so do I." she said. Gippal grinned.

"And you don't want to take me along?" he said with a pout. She shook her head with a small smirk.

"Not this time fishy." She said, standing on her toes and kissing him lightly, then turning away and following Yuna out of the village. Gippal had decided to stay at Besaid to hide from his workers. He had firmly stated that they were already getting on his nerves, and they hadn't even asked him questions yet.

Brother was there waiting for them when they got to the beach and took them slowly to Guadosalam, talking to Yuna the entire way. He seemed to be sorry for Tidus's death, but Rikku could see with disgust that he wasn't sorry at all. She took Yuna by the arm and hauled her away, shooting a nasty glance at Brother. Brother scoffed and looked grumpily at the ocean underneath them.

Brother dropped the pair off at the entrance to the Thunder Plains and Rikku rushed into Guadosalam. She had realized- with much regret- that she was once again afraid of lightening. She walked slowly once she was in Guadosalam, staying next to Yuna, as they made their way to the Farplane. She stepped into the place that was familiar, but not at the same time. Yuna went to the edge and almost immediately a ghost of Tidus and Lulu appeared. Yuna sank to her knees. This was almost like a confirmation. Once the Farplane told you, it was true. Rikku wondered if Tidus and Lulu had willingly gone to the Farplane, or if Yuna sent them while Rikku was asleep. Rikku went to the edge and sat down, hugging her knees to her body. She closed her eyes and thought of her mother. When she opened them, she could see her mother, smiling down at her. She grinned back at her mother.

"Rao, Sus." She said. "Oui fuh'd pameaja fryd'c rybbahat dra bycd vaf oaync. E's cunno E teth'd lusa du caa oui aynmean. Dra Al Bhed fanah'd ymmufat du lusa du dra Farplane. Cu, oui nasaspan Gippal? Dra uha oui ymfyoc daycat sa ypuid palyica oui druikrd E megat res? Famm... fa'na ahkykat huf." (Hey, Mom. You won't believe what's happened the past few years. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you earlier. The Al Bhed weren't allowed to come to the Farplane. So, you remember Gippal? The one you always teased me about because you thought I liked him? Well... we're engaged now.) She continued, holding up her hand. She felt silly talking to the pyreflies. But when she looked over at Yuna, she could see her talking to Tidus and Lulu as well. She turned back to her mother and grinned. "E ghuf oui'na bnupypmo cyoehk "E dumt oui cu" nekrd huf. Pid pameaja sa, y vaf tyoc yku, Gippal fyc dra mycd bancuh E druikrd E fyc kuehk du kad synneat du. Oihy'c tuehk ymnekrd. Cra seccac oui y mud. Ran ricpyht zicd teat. Ed fyc runnepma. Famm, Gippal seccac oui duu. Oui fana dra uhmo uha dryd gabd sa vnus nebbehk rec ryen uid. Ra nasaspanc ed duu!" (I know you're probably saying "I told you so" right now. But believe me, a few days ago, Gippal was the last person I thought I was going to get married to. Yuna's doing alright. She misses you a lot. Her husband just died. It was horrible. Well, Gippal misses you too. You were the only one that kept me from ripping his hair out. He remembers it too!)

She continued to chat with her mother as if she was answering. The worst thing was that her mother was fading from her memory. She couldn't hear her voice. She couldn't feel her arms wrapped around her after she had cleaned a scratch from one of her knees after Gippal and her had wrestled. Of course, she won every time. But she never got by without a few scratched from the gloves he wore. She couldn't remember her mother scolding her for giving Gippal a black eye. It was like she was there, but everything was in mute. _What would you think of me if you could see me now, Sudran? Would you be proud of me? Or would you question my choices? I'm not sure anymore. _She needed a mother. She found it funny how all her close friends didn't have mothers. Yuna had no family. Neither did Gippal, or Shinra. Gippal didn't like to talk about his father much. He hadn't particularly liked him. Of course, Brother had no mother. Paine never spoke of her family, and Rikku began to wonder if she had one.

She thought about the dent that Sin had left. Though Sin was gone, it was still spoken of like it could be summoned by speaking its name. It will be centuries before Sin is truly thought of as the past. Until all the people who were _there_ when Sin was around were dead, it wouldn't be history. It was still reality. It made her wonder about the human nature. Forgive and forget was something they tried to live by. But somehow, nobody could find it in their hearts to follow this advice. Grudges were just too common in this world.

She sighed and went to Yuna. She had gone silent and was now staring at Tidus, Lulu, Braska and her mother. Rikku looked at the four and then at Yuna. Yuna stood and the people disappeared. Yuna's face was tear stained. She smiled at Rikku.

"Let's go then." She said. Rikku took her hands.

"I could wait. You can stay." She said. Yuna wouldn't be able to come here often. She wanted her to take her time. Yuna shook her head again.

"I'm done. I don't need the pyreflies to remember them." She said, putting a hand over her heart. Rikku smiled.

"So, guess what we're making tonight?" she said excitedly as they left the Farplane. Yuna thought for a minute.

"Hmmm… waffles?" she said. Rikku shook her head.

"Smores!" she said ecstatically. Smores were one of Rikku's favorite messy foods. Her first was (to her now resentment) chocobo ribs (A/N: If they have ribs Oo). _Damn you Gippal… _

Later that night, they had a bonfire for the people that had died. Then, they put out the fire, and then started it again to make the smores. Rikku nearly tackled the person who had the graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate. She took them and put her marshmallow on a stick, holding it over the fire. She soon spaced out until she felt a prod on her shoulder.

"Your marshmallow… melted." Gippal said, pointing to her once was marshmallow. Rikku sighed and put another one on, watching the marshmallow carefully. Finally, she squished it onto the melted chocolate on the graham and took a big bite of it. "Rikku…" Gippal said. She turned to him, and he turned away with a stifled laugh, and then turned back to her. "Your lips are all covered in chocolate." He said. Before she got a chance to lick it off, he kissed her swiftly. She held her smore so lightly it was threatening to fall out of her grip. Gippal proceeded to run his tongue unbearably slowly over her lips to get the melted chocolate off _for_ her. She tilted her head back slightly, and Gippal moved forward in response. When he took his lips away from hers, she slowly let her eyes flicker open.

"Got it." He said with a grin while looking thoughtfully at his own smore. Rikku nodded stupidly.

"Yeah…" she said, taking a more careful bite out of her smore.

**Haha I've been bothered to write that since I got Nutella all over my face last night. Seems like something Gippal would do. Anyway, go to youtube and search Hadashi no Kiseki. It's Rikku's theme song with the lyrics and even though she's not the greatest singer, I still think it's adorable! Then, go find the translation. It sounds like something Rikku would say sorta!**


	13. Time After Time

**Yeah. I think I'm gonna skip ahead a bit. Not much left to do around that time. Ignore the fact that they aren't allowed to drink yet. I decided that the age has changed to 18 as the drinking age. **

**Three Months Later**

Rikku walked on the edges of the fountain while holding on to Gippal's hand for balance, watching the lights at the bottom of the fountain flicker.

"So, when _are_ you going to marry me?" Gippal asked randomly. Rikku shrugged.

"When Yuna and I start to plan."

"When are you going to start to plan?" Gippal continued. Rikku sighed.

"You're a pest, you know?"  
"Mm hm." Rikku sighed again and slipped her hand out of his. He put the hand in his pocket and resorted to just watching her. "You're gonna fall." He said.

"How do _you_ know?"  
"'Cause you had about sixteen pina coladas." He said with a smirk. Rikku scowled and turned her attention back to where her feet were going.

"Oh no! I'm falling!" she said with mock drama. She started to wave her hands around as if trying to keep her balance.

"I should let you fall."

"Where would you be if your wife had her head cracked open?"

"_Fiancé_." Gippal corrected. She ignored him and let herself fall off the fountain. His arms were there waiting for her and she landed neatly in them, putting her hands around his neck and smiling up at him.

"See? You didn't let me fall." She said, smiling up at him. He sneered, and she though he was going to drop her, but he started walking again instead. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest. "Tell you what. I'll go to Besaid tomorrow and talk to Yuna about it. Alrighty?" she said. She felt him nod, because his chin bumped lightly against her head. She grinned. "And now, back to Djose for a night of frivolity!"

"Haven't you had enough frivolity to last you the week?" Gippal asked.

"You _never_ have enough frivolity." Rikku stated plainly. "And think of it this way—you're putting off a hangover when you have to go to work tomorrow." Gippal sighed.

"Yeah, but I didn't drink _half_ as much as you did."

"So? I still saw you chatting up that girl next to you! You're lucky I let it slide this time since there was a hottie next to _me_."

"I was _not_ chatting her up!" He stated, choosing to ignore her last words.

"Neither was I."

"The girl or the guy?"

"Hm… both." She sagged in his arms. "Maybe I _have_ had too much frivolity… and pina coladas."

"Really?" Gippal asked, sounding faintly disappointed. Rikku laughed.

"Aw, poor Gippy's not getting lucky tonight." She said. Gippal leaned down and kissed her lightly.

"I'm not?" he said.

"No…" Rikku mumbled half-heartedly.

Back at Djose, Gippal dumped Rikku onto the bed with a yawn. Rikku grabbed a pillow and snuggled into it. Gippal lay down next to her and pulled the covers over them, staring at her with a grin and coming close to her, his forehead and nose brushing against hers. She giggled and put her arms around his neck. He slipped his around her waist.

"I need a bigger bed." Gippal stated absentmindedly.

"Why?" Rikku asked.

"There's not enough room for both of us."

"But it's cozy." Rikku said, snuggled up to him. He tilted his head and kissed her.

"Still…" he said between the kisses. "It's too… small."

Rikku woke up slowly the next day and put on a pair of sweatpants. It was extra cold today and she didn't feel like getting all dressed up. Gippal could stand to see her without makeup every once in awhile. She walked out into the temple with a yawn. All of a sudden, she felt herself turned around and pushed towards the door.

"C'mon! Get dressed! Brothers coming to get you in a half hour!" Gippal said, pushing her towards the door.

"Giiippaaal!" she whined with no answer. He just opened the door with a smile and pushed her back into their room. She sighed and took out some clothes to wear. She didn't have many clothes fit for the island anymore since it was so cold in Djose and she was staying there with Gippal now. But she still kept a few things. She pulled them on tiredly. She came back out of the room and held out her arms in presentation to Gippal. He smiled.

"Much better." He said, passing her a mug of hot chocolate.

"Thanks." She said to his compliment on her clothes and for the hot chocolate. "How's work going today?" she asked before she took a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Boring. Nothing to do now except wait for Nhadala's parts to come in, since the Experiment's toast."

"Aw, you gave up?"

"No. My _workers_ refuse to go out and find more manuals. Saying if the Experiment can't even beat three girls then it's pointless." He said with a scowl in his workers direction. They waved to him as if nothing was wrong. Rikku smiled.

Gippal's workers had responded _much_ better to their engagement than Brother had. _They_ had thrown Gippal a party. Brother scowled at Rikku and refused to talk to her for the rest of the day. He had eventually and grudgingly congratulated her, even though he was unhappy that she was getting married before _him_ and what's worse to _Gippal_. Cid had been happy, though he had given Gippal quite a speech, leaving Gippal trailing meekly behind Rikku for the rest of the day. Rikku had still not figured out _what_ Cid had said to him.

Rikku yawned widely and leaned against a pillar, sipping her hot chocolate and watching the workers. Gippal had gotten less and less work to do lately, and was getting irritable because of that. He stared out longingly at the workers and nearly danced over when someone called him. Rikku grinned until she heard a bang at the door, causing her to jump and splash a little hot chocolate on the floor.

"Rikku! Let's _go_!" Brother yelled. Rikku gulped the rest of her hot chocolate down and kissed Gippal on her way out. She never really left him without giving him a kiss goodbye. It was a fetish of hers. It only made Brother yell at her to hurry up louder. He seemed to be in a _temper_.

They rode to Besaid in silence. Brother was scowling the whole way. Rikku still didn't know how Gippal had convinced Brother to give her a ride, but it must've included a promise or two. He nearly shoved Rikku off the airship onto the beach, causing her to fall into the water.

"Sayhea!" Rikku yelled up at him when he started to cackle like some mortifying demonic duck. The airship sped away a few minutes later and Rikku turned to see Yuna at the shore waiting for her. Rikku smiled and went over to her. "Hi there!" she said, hugging Yuna. Yuna hugged her back.

"Nice to see you! Paine's here too. Gippal called me and told me you were coming, so I called Paine." Yuna said.

"Gippal _made_ me come. Not that I don't want to visit you! He just… wants me to start planning the wedding. 'Cause I know _he'll_ be no good at it!" she said. Yuna smiled.

"Sure, we'll get started today. Did you know Paine's living with _Baralai_ now?" Yuna said as they started to walk towards the village.

"No way!"

"Uh huh!" They continued a girly conversation until they got to the village at Paine was there waiting for them.

"Hey Paine." Rikku said slyly. Paine didn't get it.

"Hi Rikku." She said. Rikku's smile dropped and she sighed. They went into the tent and started talking about the wedding, soon getting off topic, only to have Paine pull them back to the original reason they were talking.

Rikku got back late that night. Gippal was asleep against a pillar in the main hall. Rikku yawned and sat down next to him, wrapping his arm around her. He grumbled something but stayed asleep. She snuggled into him and fell asleep quickly. She had to go back to Besaid the next day to pick up where they left off, but she also had to pick Paine up. Paine was the only thing keeping Yuna and Rikku from talking about their daily lives instead of the wedding. _Agh… Need –_yawn- _sleep…_

**Bah, final chapters coming up soon! I'm so sad! I don't even know if it's gonna end up happy! But, I hate sad endings, so don't worry. Probably will be a happy ending. Anyway, Aishiteru and review if you feel like it!**


	14. All I Want For Christmas Is You

**Well… I'm starting to get to the slow down point. You know, the time in the fic where you're just running out of things to write and you're like "Alright, let's wrap it up." Maybe three more chapters? Lol, also, it's been voted for a happy ending! Haha. I'm not so good at sad endings anyway.**

Rikku woke up with a shiver. She scrunched her eyebrows together and realized that she was in her and Gippal's room. _Must've woken up and brought me in._ She snuggled closer to him, since he was still asleep, and looked around. The window was blinding with light. She sat up and went to the foot of the bed, carefully stepping over his legs and going to the window. She looked out and took a step back when she saw the ground was white.

"Dammit! Snow?!" she yelled, slapping her hand over her mouth. She had forgotten for the moment that Gippal was still asleep. She heard him grunt behind her and ran over, pushing his head back down into the pillow with a dull smack sounding through the room.

"Ow! What the hell?" he said grumpily, his voice cracking at the end. Hitting him in the head was probably not the best way to get him to go back to sleep. She took her hand away and used both hands to cover her mouth.

"I'm so sorry Gippal! It's just, there's snow outside, and… I don't like snow that much…" she ended lamely. Gippal laughed.

"It usually snows around this time." He said as he got up and rubbed his eye with a yawn. He backed up to the wall and leaned against it and closed his eye, taking in a deep breath and then sighing. Rikku sat next to him.

"I hafta go back to Besaid today…" she said, hoping he would pity her. _Opposite, of course_.

"Good! Means you're making progress!" he said, tugging her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his chest with a dull,

"Humph."

She got to Besaid early and enjoyed the fact that even though it was snowing at _Djose, _it was still warm there. They spent the rest of the afternoon calling people and Yuna started taking Rikku's measurements. Rikku refused to have her wedding done by a priest, so Yuna got to work on finding a way that they could have the ceremony without a priest.

She came back to Djose to find it quiet. She looked around. People were just standing there, staring at the snow. She went over to one of the workers.

"What's up?" she said.

"Gippal's sick, so there's not much to do around here." Said the worker plainly, making a snowball and throwing it at one of the ladies. The woman turned with a gasp and threw one at him. Rikku fought her way through the flurry of snowballs until she got to the temple. She went into Gippal's room to see him with about five comforters piled on top of him.

"How did you get like this in one day?" she asked, kneeling by the bed. He shrugged.

"I had a sore throat this morning…" he said with a hoarse voice, as if it were an explanation. Rikku sighed. She put her hand on his forehead.

"Fever, sore throat, you're tired. Yup! I'm pretty sure you've got the flu." She said. Gippal huffed angrily. "Aw, don't worry grumpy. It'll be gone in about a week."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Unless you get pneumonia. But I'm sure you won't!" Gippal covered his face with the blanket. Rikku waltzed over.

"I would give you a kiss, but I don't wanna catch it." She said.

"Too bad, you're sleeping with _me_ tonight!" Gippal said from beneath the covers.

"Not if I kick you to the floor!"

"This is _my_ room!"

"Someone gets cranky when they're sick."

"You would too if you lost the ability to breath out of your dose." Rikku decided to stop talking to him. She got him a glass of water.

"Drink. The more liquids you have, the sooner you'll get better." Rikku said perkily as she handed it to him, and then heading towards the door.

"Where're you going?"

"I'm going to take your job." Rikku said with a smile.

"You can't take my job! You'll screw everything up!"

"Coming from the one that always thought I was the better mechanic!"

"That was before _I _got at job at the Faction and _you_ didn't!" Gippal stated, pulling the covers over his head once more. Rikku made a face at him and slammed the door behind her. Now_ he'll apologize later._ Rikku got the Faction straight to work, and realized she had the kind of voice that could _boom_. She stopped a random worker as he walked by her.

"Hey, guess what? _I_ can scream louder than Gippal!" she said excitedly. The worker looked at her like she was crazy and continued with his work. Repeatedly she had to break up a snowball fight and repeatedly she joined a snowball fight. The day went by fast and soon all the workers went home for the day. Rikku crawled into bed with Gippal and found him wide awake, staring at the ceiling with a hollow expression.

"I don't know why you hate your job so much. I think its pretty fun." Rikku stated. Gippal shrugged.

"I've had it since I was fourteen. It's getting boring." He said. Rikku smiled and closed her eyes, feeling sleep wash over her like a wave on a shore.

Rikku woke up to a strange thumping and a feeling of emptiness. She looked behind her, but Gippal wasn't there. She looked around the room to see him in the corner, banging his head against the wall repeatedly.

"What're you doing?" she asked hastily.

"Trying to get my headache to go away…" he said. She just stared at him.

"You must be sick _and _delusional if you think hitting your head is going to make your headache any better." She said. He turned to her with a venomous gaze.

"Got a better idea?" he snapped. She scowled at him.

"I'm going back to Besaid today. D'you wanna come with me?"

"Oh, you _want_ me to come this time?"

"You can stay here if you want! Just say so!"

"You just wanna go a leave me to die!"

"I'm going to plan the goddamn wedding that _you_ wanted so bad! If you don't want it anymore just say the word!" she said, her words slipping from her mouth as if they were greased in butter and rolled in oil. Gippal turned to her.

"What makes you think I don't want it anymore?"

"I-I don't' know. I don't know why I said it." Gippal turned back to the wall.

"Maybe _you_ don't want it anymore." He mumbled. Rikku glared at the back of his head.

"I'm sorry I ever shared your goddamn germs!" she yelled.

"You asked for them!" he snapped back at her, not being able to raise his voice.

"I did _not_!" Rikku said.

"Yes you did! You asked for them the day you said you would marry me!" Rikku bit back her reply that she knew she would regret and stormed out of the room, calling Brother with the sphere and telling him to _step_ on it.

She got to the island and tried to let go of her anger. She knew Gippal had only said that because he was sick. That's what she told herself. Yuna was there waiting for her. She jumped off the ship and stormed by her. Paine jumped off after her, along with Baralai. Baralai had decided to come this time, to more of Rikku's annoyance.

"Let's _go_!" she yelled over her shoulder. Paine just shrugged at Yuna's questioning gaze and Baralai looked worriedly after Rikku.

They worked for the entire afternoon and Rikku's spirits lightened through the day.

"So, I couldn't find anyone to say the ceremony." Yuna said.

"What's wrong with a priest?" Baralai asked. Rikku answered.

"Yevon… two Al Bheds." She said, holding out two hands to her sides as if she could hold both in her hands. "Don't mix well." She stated. Baralai thought for a moment.

"But, Hi- Yuna could do it." He said. Rikku perked up all the way at that.

"_Really_?!" She said.

"Me?" Yuna asked disbelievingly. Baralai nodded.

"Summoners can—or _could_ perform wedding ceremonies." He said. (A/N: I'm not sure if they could, but let's go along with it, okay:D)

"Oh, _please_ Yunie?!" Yuna thought for a minute.

"Yeah, okay." She said. Rikku hugged Yuna.

"Great! We done here for the day?" she asked.

"Yeah. We can find a date tomorrow and then go from there." Yuna said. Rikku whooped and rushed out of the tent, Paine and Baralai on her heels so she wouldn't forget them.

Rikku came back to Djose when the sun was setting and plowed through the snow to the door, pulling it open with all her strength. Ice had formed around the edges. She walked quietly into the room and shut the door slowly behind her, and then turned to have Gippal right up in her face.

"Yeah, I know, I'm gonna get you sick for being this close to you, but I'm _sorry_ that I was a jerk to you this morning." He said, his voice soft. Rikku smiled.

"It's okay. I'm over it. Guess what?" she said. Gippal looked thoroughly relieved.

"What?"

"Yuna's gonna say the ceremony for us!"

"That's good." Gippal said, bending down and nuzzling her neck. He obviously didn't seem to care. Rikku giggled and slipped away from him, jumping on the bed.

"C'mere mister! If you wanna get rid of that flu you've got to sleep!" he started to walk towards the bed. "WAIT! You have to drink a glass of water first!" she said. He scowled and drank a glass of water quickly.

"_Now_ can I go to bed?" he asked. Rikku smiled and patted the side of the bed next to her. He lay down and pulled the covers over them, quickly pulling Rikku into his arms.

"E muja oui, Rikku." He said. Rikku smiled.

"I love you too." She said, nuzzling her head into the pillow and closing her eyes after kissing Gippal goodnight.

**Aren't they so cute it just makes you wanna slap them? Ha! Anyway, we're skipping ahead another month next chapter. Aishiteru!**


	15. Me and My Gang

**As I said, this is one month later. And the Smile Like You Mean It **_**duet**_** is coming to it's close.**** I can't say that enough because I'm all sad! But then I've got that Road Trip thing waiting for me! THANK YOU! Memory of Lightwaves now has _more_ reviews than Smile like You Mean It and it only has fifteen chapters! Aishiteru!**

Rikku woke slowly and saw Gippal still asleep next to her. She grinned broadly. _Yes!_ She sat up slowly and then belly flopped onto him. He woke up immediately with tired alertness.

"Wake up! It's time to come with me to get a dress!" She said excitedly. Gippal moaned and lay back on the bed.

"Whhhhy do IIII have to gooo?" he moaned. Rikku continued to flop down on his stomach.

"Because! I want to hear you say that I look pretty in something. And also, we need to get you a suit!"

"Why can't I wear the one I wore to Yuna's wedding?" he asked. Rikku almost gasped in horror.

"You can't do that!!! It's strictly forbidden!" she said, her voice scandalized.

"I'd like to see this book of rules you girls have. It seems like a book that could actually sustain me for a week." He stated, taking off his eye patch and rubbing his right eye. Rikku got off him.

"You're not allowed to see it. It's all up here." She tapped her temple. "Now c'mon! We're going to Luca _after_ we pick up Paine and Yuna!" Gippal groaned and lay back down, pulling the cover over himself. "Come _on_!" Rikku said, heaving her weight into a tug on his arm. He slid enough so that his feet banged against the wall and he was hanging over the side of the bed. He picked up a book he had finished two days ago absentmindedly.

"Have you ever heard the saying, 'Let sleeping dogs lie?'" he asked, examining the cover.

"Yes, and I believe that if they're awake they should always tell the truth." Rikku replied with full humor in her voice. Gippal chose to ignore her attempt to make him laugh and set down the book.

"This is just like that." He said, waving a finger in her general direction since he couldn't see her from the way his head was pointed towards the floor. She huffed and took his head, pulling it up so he could look at her. He stared at her with an uncomfortable expression.

"Please?" she said with the smile that he could _never_ resist. Though seeing as he was halfway in sleep mode he held out for almost a minute this time. He finally sighed.

"Fine!" he said. Rikku let go of his head and it drooped down until it smacked against the side of the bed. He didn't even react. He just attempted to get out of the bed. Eventually, he rolled out and thumped down onto the floor, standing up and pushing his arms out to stretch with his fingers spread out wide. _Isn't it funny that whatever has to do with sleeping, Gippal reminds me of a dog?_ He finally finished stretching and started to get dressed. Rikku went poking around through the small refrigerator.

"You're outta milk!" she said, horrified. Milk was one of her favorite things to drink in the morning, besides hot chocolate.

"Not my fault you use about two cups each day! I can only fit a quart in there." He replied, tugging his shirt over his head. Rikku pulled out some juice instead and poured herself some in a plastic cup. Gippal absolutely refused to get _actual_ glasses, so she was stuck with red plastic cups.

Rikku eventually skipped out of the room, with Gippal sauntering out sleepily behind her. Rikku was far more excited than he was to go get her dress. Brother picked them up reluctantly, trying his best to leave Gippal behind. He then went to Bevelle to pick up a patiently waiting Paine. Paine said Baralai had things to do today and that he couldn't come, to Gippal's disappointment. Then, they flew to Besaid to get Yuna, who was nearly exploding with her excitement. She said that her favorite part of the wedding planning was choosing her dress. She then told Rikku that her least favorite part was paying for it.

Rikku stepped into the shop at Luca and was almost blinded by how much whiteness was in the room. She had expected it to be bright, but not _this_ bright. The fluorescent lights didn't help much either. Rikku, Yuna and Paine rushed off to look at the dresses, and Gippal chose a seat and lounged in it, rolling his head back to look at the ceiling. He was already bored.

Rikku finally had six dresses picked out and went behind a curtain to have the hostess help her put on the dress. She came out to find Gippal nearly tipping out of his chair in a doze.

"AHEM!" She said. He almost tumbled out of the chair then looked at her. "Do I look _pretty_?" she asked. He stood up and went over to her, putting his hands on either side of her face.

"I think you look pretty in _everything_." He said, touching his nose to hers and shaking his head back and forth. Rikku smiled.

"That's good…" she said. "… but you're outta luck! I've still got five more to try on!" She added in a perky tone. Gippal let out a hoarse sigh and whirled away from her, returning to his chair. Rikku grinned. The next five dresses went by slowly, but in the end she chose the first one.

"Why'd you have to try on _every single one _of 'em if you were just going to pick the one that _I_ liked?" Gippal asked as they walked towards the men's side of the store.

"Because! What if you liked one _better_?" she asked.

"Then I would be out of luck, wouldn't I? Because then _you_ probably wouldn't like it." He said. They both sighed at each others ignorance and Rikku proceeded to pick out suits _for_ him, with Yuna and Paine's help. Paine was sure to add a light pink suit to the bunch.

Gippal put them on, most of them refusing not to come out to show Rikku. Of course, Paine forced him to try on the pink one _and_ show them, and it sent Rikku into a laugh that seemed would never cease. He only scowled at the three and went back behind the curtain. The hostess was standing with the girls, since a growl from both Rikku and Gippal had kept her from being helpful _this_ time.

Gippal decided to ask _Rikku_ what she wanted, so she consulted with her'crew'. At first, they had decided on the pink suit, but Gippal refused to wear it, so they started to consult once again. They eventually decided on the first one, to which Gippal threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. Maybe planning wasn't his thing either.

Gippal wanted to go home and curl up under his covers again, but Rikku wouldn't allow it. They all went back to Besaid. Rikku thought that Gippal needed to feel the warmth of the island, since there was still nothing but snow and hail at Djose. Once he got there, he seemed to worship the sun. It wasn't as warm as it was during its summer months, but that made it nice.

Rikku and Gippal sat on the beach silently, Gippal farther away from the water.

"You _still_ don't like water?" Rikku asked.

"Nope!" Gippal replied easily. Rikku could never figure out if he was _scared_ of water, or if he just didn't like it.

"Come on! I won't let the fish come and pull you to sea." She said, standing up and taking his hands. He slipped his out of hers.

"I may love you, but you're going to need to persuade me _a lot_ more to get me to go in there." He said, pointing to the ocean. Rikku sighed and tugged her boots off, setting them next to Gippal and going into the water until it was up to her knees. She dipped her hands in the water and lathered her arms with the salty water, and then went back to Gippal, the sand sticking to her feet. She turned around and thumped down onto the sand and reclined onto her back, closing her eyes. She heard Gippal shift next to her, but she didn't pay much attention to it. She suddenly felt something tickly on her stomach. She snapped her eyes open and saw Gippal sifting sand through his fingers onto her stomach with a smirk on his face.

"What're you doing?" she asked.

"Making a sand castle."

"On top of me?" she asked. He smiled again.

"Of course. Then you can be _my _princess." Rikku rolled her eyes and tilted her head back again.

"Hey Cid's Girl?"

"_Gippal's_ Girl." She corrected. He seemed to ignore her.

"Do you _like_ being the "princess" of the Al Bhed?" he asked her. _Never asked me _that_ one before_. She thought for a few minutes.

"I guess so. Nobody really acknowledges it. Nobody _thinks_ of me as a princess."

"Except me." Gippal said with an arrogant smile. Rikku just sneered.

"Right. Except you…" she mumbled as he took another handful of sand and started to drop it onto her stomach. "I can't _wait_ for this wedding." She said. She heard Gippal laugh slightly.

"Why?"

"This planning thing is taking it out of me." Gippal looked down at her and grinned.

"That's why _I_ chose not to plan." He stated, kissing her on the cheek and brushing the sand off of her stomach. When he sprawled onto his back again, Rikku wrapped his arm around her and rested her head on his shoulder. She needed a nap, no matter how much the sun would burn her.

**I might have to fast forward through the wedding since I don't know how these things work haha. I've never been to a wedding! –sweatdrop- Hahahaaaaah this is gonna be haaaard.**


	16. real Emotion

**So here we are, the night **_**before**_** the wedding. Isn't this exciting!**

Gippal pushed Rikku up against a wall and kissed her, his hands leaving her shoulders and moving to run his finger through her hair. Rikku's eyes drooped and after a few minutes, Gippal picked her up and carried her to his now king size bed (A/N::D) and dumped her there.

"Tomorrow, you'll _officially _be Gippal's Girl." He said as she hooked her arms around his neck. She grinned and nodded slowly, pulling him towards her. _Gippal's Girl_.

"Rikku! You have _got_ to calm down!" Yuna said urgently, putting her hands on Rikku's shoulders. Rikku shrugged them off and continued to pace.

"I wonder what's going to go wrong… they say _something_ has to go wrong on your wedding day, and I'm sure he's gonna decide that some stupid machina is more important than his wedding! Dryd'c zicd cusadrehk Gippal fuimt tu... (That's just something Gippal would do…)" she mumbled hastily, looking out the window and then wringing a glove in her hands. Yuna and Paine sighed. Rikku's nerves had gotten annoying by now.

"Heeey, how's my little girl doing?" Cid said, coming in with his arms out stretched.

"Pops!" Rikku said, hugging him tightly. Brother stood in the background with a proud look on his face. Rikku couldn't help but laugh.

_"I'm going back to Besaid now. Do you need me to find you a best man?" Rikku asked._

_"Nah, I've got one." Gippal said while reclining on the bed._

_"Nooj? Baralai?" Rikku asked. Gippal shook his head to both._

_"Starts with a B, ends with an R, and has R-O-T-H-E in the middle."_

Rikku hadn't seen _that_ one coming. She ran over and hugged Brother as well.

"I still can't believe you're getting married." Brother stated. Rikku stuck her tongue out at him and turned back to the group.

"I'm gonna rip my dress with all this pacing, aren't I?" she asked. Yuna and Paine nodded simultaneously. Rikku sighed and sat down heavily in an arm chair, taking in a deep breath. She realized now that having her wedding in the desert might not have been such a brilliant and fantastic idea as it had been when she first thought it up. She put her hand on her forehead and tried to calm herself. _I can do this. It can't be any worse than Vegnagun, can it? Except totally humiliation! Something's gonna go wrong!_

"Where's the cake?!" Rikku asked suddenly. Everyone just stared at her.

"_Rikku!_ This is getting _ridiculous_!" Yuna stated. Rikku shrank away and kept to herself for the next few minutes. Rikku's old friend, Fruna, came into the room.

"Uh, Rikku? Gippal's here." She said. She walked over to Rikku and knelt down in front of her. "See! I _told_ you that you loved him!" she said to Rikku with a wide smile. Rikku grinned back and gave Fruna a quick hug before she left again. Rikku stood up, meaning to go see Gippal. She was quite suddenly pushed back down into her chair by Yuna and Brother.

"You can't go see him!" Brother said quickly.

"Why not?" Rikku asked angrily. Obviously Brother _still_ had not grasped the concept that she was getting married _today_.

"It's bad luck!" Yuna answered. _Ohh… so it's _not_ that he doesn't want me to get married. _She wasn't exactly the superstitious type, but she was going to be _very_ careful today. No black cat was gonna get _her_. Rikku sighed and settled down into her chair, picking up her diamond drops and pushing them into her ears. Once they were in, she looked down and picked up a necklace with a white gold chain. She held it up in front of her first. The orange feather that Gippal had given her years ago hung from it, fluttering in the wind the fan was making. She held the clasp at the nape of her neck and felt hands take them from her, linking the clasp together. Rikku let go of her hair and stared at her reflection. _This is it… Fayth, I can't believe I'm doing this. Be strong, Rikku._ She reached up and pulled out a clear band and started to slowly unbraid her hair. _Aaagh! It took so long to get them like this too!_ When all the braids were gone, she was left with a glossy mass of… fluff. Yuna picked up something that looked absolutely _menacing_. She clicked the two pincers together and it made a loud clapping sound. Rikku leaned back.

"What's that?!" She demanded. Yuna looked confused, and then looked at the clapper. She then laughed.

"A straightening iron." She said simply.

"You're gonna iron my _hair_?" Rikku asked, her voice squeaky. Maybe she _was_ being a little dramatic. But she had _never_ experienced a straightening-clapping iron before. "Is it gonna hurt?"

"Not if you hold still." Yuna said, taking a piece of Rikku's hair and clasping it with the iron. Rikku squeezed her eyes shut and waited for it to end.

"Half an hour… half an hour…" Rikku repeated excitedly. Her nerves had been replaced by barely suppressed excitement. She wasn't sure which Yuna and Paine preferred. She was sure that she was going to get a headache soon. Her hair was pulled up so tight, she thought her scalp was going to rip. Rikku looked down at her dress and ran her gloved hands over the yellow sequins. She smiled and went to Yuna, who wore a dark blue dress. She threw her arms around Yuna's neck, who stumbled back a bit.

"Thank you for helping me with this!" Rikku said. Yuna hugged Rikku back.

"You're very welcome." She replied. Paine came over to them slowly, obviously hoping to not get a hug. Too bad. Rikku and Yuna both tugged her into a group hug, which she struggled against as best she could in her dress, to no avail.

When it was time for the bridesmaids to walk, Yuna took Brother's arm with a smile to Rikku, and Paine took Baralai's, to Rikku's excitement. Rikku waited for her queue, and then took Cid's arm while trembling like she was wearing nothing but a bikini in the middle of Macalania. Cid gave her hand a quick squeeze before slowly walking out with her.

Rikku at first stared at her feet. _Can't trip… can't trip…_ But eventually, she got the courage to look up. She saw Yuna standing in the center at a podium smiling brightly at Rikku. Rikku couldn't help but smile back. She looked around to see Paine, Brother and Baralai waiting. She looked on and saw Gippal grinning at her. She felt she could almost cry with how happy she was about all this. All these people here for _her_. And some of them for Gippal… but most of them were _her_ friends first! She almost pirouetted for the last few steps, and then turned to Cid. Cid lifted her hand and kissed it gently, smiling at her and moving off to the side. Rikku felt almost naked without someone with her now. She turned and saw Gippal with his arm out. _No… I'm not alone._ She linked her hand around his arm and took the last few steps up.

She listen faintly to Yuna talking just as Baralai had taught her to, and soon heard herself saying the things she was supposed to. She felt a ring slipped on to her finger and she in turn put one on Gippal's. She couldn't stop smiling. She knew she looked like an idiot. But so did he. She found herself kissing Gippal, but this time, it was different. She didn't feel the usual spark she did when she kissed him. No. Not this time.

This time, it was a firework between them. Thousands. She pulled away and smiled at him like she had never smiled before. She thought her lips might tear. He took her hand and led her away down the aisle. She grinned and hitched up her dress and trotted after him as fast at she could without tumbling over from her heels. She giggled when she saw the carriage pulled by chocobos that Yuna had picked out, and she saw Gippal sigh and cringe at the atrocious way of travel. He held her hand as she climbed slowly into the carriage, being sure to avoid the flowers hanging from the door, and sat down heavily, looking out the back window. _Okay. Now I have to wave goodbye to everyone as we ride off into the… desert?_ She turned and waved to them as Gippal closed the door. She looked at him after she put her arm down, still smiling. They didn't even look for a second before Gippal nearly tackled her out the other side of the carriage and kissed her. She sighed inwardly. _It's all uphill from now._ She thought.

"_Now_ you're Gippal's Girl." Gippal said when he pulled away from her for a second. She couldn't even reply as his lips went back onto hers. _Abso-posi-you better believe it…_

**-sniffle- ohmagah! I'm getting all sentimental! My poor story's gonna die! Ahem! –composes ones self- Well, Epilogue up next. Stay tuned! **


	17. Twenty Six Years

**Alrighty! Last chapter! I'm gonna miss you guys! BUT this is DEFINITELY not my last Rippal fic! I probably have fifty more coming… ANYWAY, I love you all, and I look forward to your reviews in my other fics :D Bye bye!**

**Ten Years After the Wedding**

The little girl crossed her arms over her chest and huffed at her parents, her piercing green eyes nearly glowing with her anger. Her parents finally turned around to look at her and her father sighed, looking exasperatedly at her with his only light green eye.

"What is it _no_w, Naeba?" He asked, the little boy clinging to his hand turning with him to look at his older sister. Her mother watched her daughter calmly, being sure not to bump the sleeping child in her arms awake.

"Why do you always hold _his_ hand?" Naeba asked hotly to her father. Her father used to always hold _her_ hand. Then Dreyv came along and stole her father from her. The three year old boy didn't seem to comprehend what his older sister was so angry about. He was _his_ dad too, after all. Her father grinned and held out his hand to her.

"You could have just asked, sweetie." He said. Naeba smiled and grabbed her father's hand, her other arm wrapping around his in content. She glanced up at her mother as she gave her daughter a dazzling smile and turned her face back to her baby son. Naeba stared up at her mother. She prayed that she would grow up to be as gorgeous as her mother was when she was all grown up. She had always used to tell her parents that when she grew up, she wanted to marry her dad. Her parents told her she would love someone else more than she loved them, but she didn't believe them.

"Daddy?" she said.

"Hm?" he asked, squeezing her hand a bit.

"You _are_ gonna marry me when I'm grown up, right?" she asked. Her mother laughed next to her. She wasn't sure what was so funny, but her mother's laugh was infectious, and she laughed too.

"Of course I am." Her father replied with a slight laugh in his tone as well.

Rikku and Gippal finally got to Besaid and went to a small tent.

"Okay you two. Now stay together, play nice, do _not_ go out of town and your father and I will be with aunt Yuna. Alright? Now give me a kiss-" Rikku put her arms around her seven year old daughter and three year old son and they both gave her a kiss. "and we'll come get you later. Vidina's over there, why don't you go say hi?" she said, pointing to a red headed child. He waved at Rikku and she gave him a small wave back, then turned and took Vecro from Gippal. They exited the tent and Rikku laughed.

"I hope she doesn't _really_ want to marry you." She said. Gippal smiled.

"I seem to have that effect on people." He replied. She gave him a light push and cradled Vecro.

"Three kids in ten years! I only got to have you to myself for three of em!" she said. Gippal grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You can have me _aaany_ time you want." He whispered to her. She grinned.

"Not when we've got a baby that starts wailing the second you take my shirt off." She said with a laugh.

"Not as bad as tossing your thong into his cradle!" Gippal said, releasing her waist. She gasped and pushed him with her shoulders again.

"That was an _accident_!" He laughed a bit and then pulled back the rug to reveal Yuna's tent, as neat as ever. Yuna jumped up.

"Vecro! Oh, he's gotten so big!" she said, tugging the baby from Rikku's arms. Gippal and Rikku just stared at her, dumbstruck, and she talked to the baby and made the baby laugh. Gippal finally let out a chuckle and Yuna turned and looked at them as if they were strangers.

"Rikku! Gippal!" She said, holding Vecro with one arm and hugging them both around the shoulders. Rikku smiled and took Vecro back as Yuna held him out. "And here I thought that _I_ would be the one having children _long_ before you two. And you've already got three!" she said, turning to a stove. "I just started making lunch, do you want some?"

"Yeah! We were planning to stay for a while." Rikku said, setting Vecro down in Vidina's old crib, which Yuna absolutely _refused_ to give up, much to the now eleven year old Vidina's embarrassment. Yuna hadn't even though of getting married since Tidus had died. Rikku knew she was sad, but _never_? She looked to the couch to see Gippal already there. She grinned and set herself next to him and put her legs on his lap, leaning against the arm of the couch. He fingered at the toe of her boots.

"Are you ever gonna get new shoes?" he asked. She grinned.

"Nuh uh." She replied simply, looking over at Yuna. Yuna sat in a chair across from them and looked at them thoughtfully. Rikku and Gippal stared back at her until there was a wail that made them all jump. They looked over at Vecro, whose face had gone red. He held up his arms, pleading for attention. Rikku went over and picked him up.

"Why did I have to have two boys? They're so much more sensitive than girls are." She said.

"Yeah, but think of it, now you'll have _two_ momma's boys who will always buy you expensive gifts." Gippal pointed out with a grin. She looked down at Vecro, then at Gippal, then at Vecro again. Then, she passed Vecro to Gippal.

"Go to your father. And don't let him spoil you any more." Rikku told Vecro as Gippal gathered him up. Rikku turned back to Yuna and proceeded to talk again, leaving Gippal to quickly soothe the crying baby. _I was right. He _is_ a good father._ Rikku thought, not for the first time, and not for the last time.

Later that night, Rikku put Vecro to bed and turned to her dresser, slipping on a satin nightgown. Gippal had his dark rimmed glasses on with a thick book in his hands. Rikku had laughed at him the day he had come home with those glasses, but eventually started to like them, even though they were useless for one eye. She crawled in to the bed next to him and watched him for a few moments.

"What'cha reading now?" she asked. He grinned.

"One of your saucy romances that you never read. You should read it, it's very stimulating." He said. Rikku snatched the book out of his hands and put it on the other side of the bed.

"_How_ stimulating?" she asked. He took off his glasses and put them on the bedside table, then kissed her lightly.

"Very." He replied simply. He pushed her down onto the bed. "Maybe we'll get lucky tonight and Vecro will stay asleep."

"Don't count on it." She said before he kissed her again. She prayed that Vecro _would_ stay asleep though.

**Twenty Five Years After The Wedding (Gippy's an old guy now :'()**

Gippal stood up and walked to his daughter. She had grown up to be a spitting image of Rikku, except for her eyes. Her eyes were a light teal, as his were. She turned to him as he approached and smiled widely, hugging him with all her strength. When she pulled away, he said to her,

"So, I guess you're not gonna marry your old man anymore, huh?" She gasped and pushed him.

"When did I say I would marry_ you_?" she asked. He smiled.

"When you were around eight, you said you wanted _me_ to marry you. But, that was back when you still _liked_ your mother and I." he said. She grinned at him.

"Don't worry, dad. There'll always be a place for you and mom." She said, putting her hand over her heart. Gippal bent down and kissed his daughters forehead, then went back to Rikku, who sat waiting with a tissue to her eyes.

"You're _still_ crying?" he asked her. She nodded slowly, dabbing at her eyes. He smiled. "Don't worry. We've still got two left."

"Yeah but they both have _girlfriends_! You said they would be _momma's boys_! And they don't buy me _anything_!" she said in a squeaky voice. Gippal hugged her tightly. _Women_…

**Twenty Six Years After The Wedding**

"Mom, you know what you've never told me?" Naeba asked. Rikku looked at her daughter. "You and dad's story!" she said. Rikku laughed.

"Oooh, it's a long story, and we'd have to cut half of it out having your _father_ in it." She said, giving Gippal and light push. Gippal grinned. "But, I guess now that your older we can tell you _exactly_ what happened. If I remember correctly, your father was _quite_ the player." She said. And so it began. Rikku told the story of her and her husband to her three children. They didn't interrupt much, except to ask questions. Some of their past had been lost to their memories, as they had cleaned out the old to make room for the new. But it was still playing in their heads. Every word they had said to each other was still echoing in each others ears and hearts. It made Rikku's bones rattle. It made Gippal's heart melt. Twenty six years with each other. Many years to come.


End file.
